Named after the Confederate general James Longstreet, she entered service in 1942, but was wrecked in a storm on 26 October 1943 and was subsequently used as a target hulk by the United States Navy.

After loading cargo James Longstreet sailed independently on 27 November 1942 (from Houston, Texas via New Orleans, Yucatán Straits, Panama[9]) to Australia, India, and Ceylon.

[11] Before reaching port, she collided with the British ship West Point,[12] on 26 October[13] and ran aground in a gale off of Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

[8] Instead of being scrapped, she was acquired by the US Navy in June 1944 and, after having her machinery removed,[12] she was used as a target ship for early air to surface guided missiles, including the Pelican[14] and ASM-N-2 Bat bombs.

[12] The remains of James Longstreet, also referred to as "the target ship", lie approximately 3.5 nautical miles (4.0 mi; 6.5 km) off Eastham, Massachusetts in 20 to 25 feet (6.1 to 7.6 m) of water.