Equality State was laid down on 6 July 1960, as the break-bulk freighter SS Washington Mail, ON 287238, IMO 5386605, a Maritime Administration type (C4-S-1s) hull under MARAD contract (MA 86).

In 1971 she was lengthened and converted to a type (C6-S-1s) hull container ship by Bethlehem Steel, San Francisco, CA.

After the collapse of US Lines in 1986, the ship was returned to MARAD 6 April 1987 and laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) at Hampton Roads, VA.

Completed on 24 May 1989, she was assigned to the Ready Reserve Force (RRF), under operation control of the Military Sealift Command (MSC) and placed in service as SS Equality State (ACS-8).

Removed from MSC control, withdrawn from the RRF by reassignment to the National Defense Reserve Fleet (Beaumont, TX), 28 July 2006.