The ship was laid down in 1913 at Sørlandets Skibsbyggeri shipyard in Fevig, launched on 3 September 1914 (yard number 169)[2][3] and commissioned in October of the same year.

[1] After completion America was put on the Norway-USA route connecting the East Coast ports of Boston and Philadelphia with Bergen and Kristiania.

The vessel loaded up cargo, which included among other things granite, at Stavanger and then Bergen and departed for her maiden voyage on November 3, 1914 for Havana via Boston and other ports.

Upon arrival there next day, she had to unload part of her cargo including oil, leather and food supplies deemed to be contraband by the British.

[15] Shortly after 22:00 on May 1, about 135 nautical miles (250 km) east-northeast from the Longstone Lighthouse the ship was struck on port side in her engine room by a torpedo.