In March 1903 A. F. Klaveness & Co had a cargo ship SS Sangstad delivered which they planned to use on West India to North America route as a fruit carrier.

On November 25, 1903 it was reported that SS Sangstad was removed from Norwegian registration and sold to Compañia Mexicana de Navegación, and an order for a new steamer with the same name was placed.

[2][3] On June 8, 1904 a new company (Dampskibsaktieselskabet "Sangstad"), a subsidiary of A. F. Klaveness & Co, with NOK 550,000 starting capital was registered in Larvik to operate the new vessel.

The ship left Sunderland for her maiden voyage on June 23, 1904 for Pensacola and Gulf ports[5] and returned to Hamburg on September 3.

The vessel then was sub-chartered by the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad along with other ships to transport 10,000 tons of paving bricks and other construction materials to the Panama Canal area.

[12] On January 15, 1907 the ship left Philadelphia for Colón, and returned to New York on March 21 after visiting Cuban ports and New Orleans on her way back.

[16] After unloading Sangard loaded 2,100 barrels of spikes and proceeded to Newport News where she took on 4,837 tons of coal and left for Colón on November 20.

[21] Sangstad returned to North Sydney on April 28, and was employed on the coal trade route to Montreal and Quebec during the months of May and June 1908.

Sangstad left Buenos Aires on her return voyage to Hamburg and Antwerp with a cargo of wheat on March 27 and arrived in Europe in early May.

The ship initially stayed afloat allowing the captain, his family and the crew to disembark, but sank in approximately 10 fathoms (60 ft; 18 m) of water after 45 minutes.