On 24 September 1902 Pennsylvania rescued all 13 crew from the Norwegian barque Bothnia, who had been struggling against rising water for 17 days.

[3] In the same 1910 refit a flight deck was installed on her after deckhouse for an aeroplane to take off and fly up to 43 nautical miles (80 km).

[9] Late in November 1918 Nansemond left Saint-Nazaire in France carrying 16 Medical Corps personnel and 148 patients suffering from shell shock.

She was caught in a succession of westerly and northwesterly gales, and on 30 November and 1 December she weathered waves up to 40 feet (12 m) high.

[10] At Hoboken, New Jersey on 20 January 1919 Nansemond was commissioned into the US Navy with the pennant number ID-1395 and code letters GJBN.

Lt Cdr W McLeod, USNRF, was appointed to command her, and she was assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service.

On 26 February she left St-Nazaire carrying members of the American Expeditionary Forces, and on 11 March she reached Newport News, Virginia.

She spent the next five months crossing and re-crossing the North Atlantic, making a round trip every 32 days.

[11] On 28 June Nansemond left Brest, France carrying members of the 802nd Pioneer Infantry, which was an African-American unit.

Also aboard was Frank Monroe Upton, a US Navy ensign who had been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The USSB retained Cox & Stevens to prepare plans for new cabin and steerage accommodation, but did not commission the refit to be undertaken.