She was built as yard number 164 at the Burrard Dry Docks in North Vancouver and was successfully delivered in 1942.
She joined several convoys transporting cargo across the Atlantic Ocean to the United Kingdom and the Mediterranean, with stops at Glasgow, Alexandria, and Bizerte.
[1][4][5] Fort McMurray was transferred to the United States Maritime Commission in 1947, where she served for a year, ferrying cargo and personnel across the Atlantic numerous times.
Post-1948, she was removed from military service, renamed Pegaso, and sold to the Italian Line.
The Italian Line operated her for only three years before she was sold to Napolitano entrepreneur Achille Lauro in 1951.