She was launched in 1918 and completed the following year by the American International Shipbuilding Corp., Hog Island, Pennsylvania as USS Sac City (ID-3861).

[1] On 11 March 1927, Sac City was steaming in New York Harbor in dense fog when she collided with the Morgan Line cargo ship SS El Sol.

El Sol, inbound to New York with a $1,000,000 cargo of pig iron, copper, and bales of cotton,[2] was maneuvering into position to anchor to wait for the fog to lift when the collision occurred at about 07:45.

[3] Sac City's bow had some slight damage, but El Sol sank quickly in about 60 feet (18 m) of water about a half-mile (800 m) south of the Statue of Liberty.

The impact of the torpedo detonated the ship's cargo of 1,000 tons of TNT, vaporizing her along with her entire crew of 41 and the 24 personnel of the United States Navy Armed Guard assigned to her.