The ship was shelter-deck type, had two main decks and was built on the Isherwood principle of longitudinal framing providing extra strength to the body of the vessel.

After unloading her cargo she departed Liverpool at the end of November and proceeded to Norfolk where she arrived on December 12 and was chartered for one trip by the U.S. Navy to transport coal to Pearl Harbor.

[9] Upon unloading the freighter sailed out for Puget Sound to load for another European trip but developed engine troubles and had to change her course for San Francisco.

[11][12] Cansumset then proceeded to Portland and Seattle where she discharged her cargo and took on board approximately 1,700,000 feet of lumber destined for Balboa, Liverpool and Le Havre and about 700 tons of general merchandise.

[16] However, when about 1,900 miles south of San Pedro her turbines again broke down and she had to be towed by another USSB steamer SS Eastern Glade reaching Balboa on May 12 where she unloaded the bulk of her cargo of lumber.

Once there, Williams, Dimond & Co. formally returned the vessel to the USSB as a failure due to their belief the ship would not be able to cover a great distance without experiencing yet another breakdown.

[20][21] In August 1920 USSB reallocated Cansumset to the Luckenbach Line to serve on the East Coast to Rotterdam route, however, these sailing never materialized and the freighter soon was sent to New London to be laid up on October 7.

Due to close proximity of Grasselli Chemical Works the waters around the island were heavily polluted with acids resulting in fast corrosion of hulls and propellers of the ships.