[3] Sea Marlin was crewed by United States Merchant Marines, with a contingent of the US Naval Armed Guards for the guns and had a complement of the US Army Transportation Corps (Water Division) aboard for troop administration.

Sea Marlin was launched on 27 September 1943, completed conversion to a 2,111 berth transport on 31 January 1944 and immediately delivered to WSA at Mobile, Alabama.

[1] Sea Marlin departed New Orleans on 9 February 1944 bound for the South West Pacific destinations including the ports of Townsville, Brisbane and Sydney in Australia, Milne Bay, Langemak in New Guinea and Auckland, New Zealand.

Shifting to Seattle the ship departed 30 November 1944 for Honolulu, Eniwetok and Saipan with the addition of calls at Tinian, Ulithi, Angaur, Peleliu, Manus Island, Guadalcanal, Noumea and Espiritu Santo with eventual return to San Francisco on 15 February 1945.

[7][9] In February, the ship transferred to the Atlantic making trips to Liverpool and Le Havre to return troops to the United States arriving in New York 1 April 1945.