[3] After the United States entered World War I, the vessel was requisitioned by the US Navy in August 1918 and became the commissioned USS Santa Paula ID-1590.

In late January, American troops home from France and would make four more round-trip voyages from New York to Brest Bordeaux and St. Nazaire between 22 March and 1 August.

When the last of these voyages ended at New York, the ship was turned over to the custody of the Commandant, 3d Naval District, and was decommissioned on 21 August 1919 and simultaneously returned to the Grace Line.

However, the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company sought to expand its Pacific service and negotiated the purchase of six ships, including Santa Paula, from the Grace Line.

She was sunk 150 nautical miles (280 km; 170 mi) south of Masirah Island, Oman, by the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-27[6][9] At 0735 a torpedo struck on the starboard side of the No.