The Eastport sawmill were to mill pine logs coming from the O'Brien's holdings, and from there ship them by sea to the company's yard on Staten Island.

The vessel was designed by San Francisco naval architect and marine engineer Edward S. Hough to be used seamlessly with monorail conveyor loading and unloading systems employed in many lumber-handling ports.

[10] After undergoing quick repairs and unloading her cargo, she proceeded to visit several ports around the Puget Sound such as Tacoma and Mukilteo where she took on board a load of 1,000 tons of copper and 3,250,000 feet of lumber and departed for East Coast on August 16.

[12] In February 1917, New York banker Sylvester W. Labrot and three of his partners formed Delaware Navigation Corporation and through it acquired steamer William O'Brien for approximately US$1,600,000 to serve on a route between East Coast and Europe.

At the same time the owners created a new entity, Huron Navigation Corp., with a goal to increase capitalization with William O'Brien being transferred to the newly formed company in early October 1917.

Under the management of Delaware Navigation Corp. William O'Brien made three trips to Europe before being chartered by the French government to carry general cargo from New York to Le Havre.

The freighter arrived at New York and finished discharging her cargo by October 19 and after obtaining approval from USSB, loaded for her upcoming trip to France.

[14] On 22 November 1917 approximately 90% of Huron Navigation Corp. stock was bought for US$700,000 by the France & Canada Steamship Corp. owned by Charles and Francis R. Mayer bringing the vessel under their control.

The Army wanted to use William O'Brien as a collier but after one trip from Cardiff to Le Havre, they discovered the vessel was ill-equipped for that purpose being a former lumber carrier.

As a result, in January 1918 they entered into agreement with British Admiralty trading the services of William O'Brien for two smaller vessels capable of carrying coal.

On April 20 Port Saunders radioed that she encountered an empty lifeboat marked William O'Brien in approximately the same area as last reported by the distressed vessel.

[22] On April 22 cutter Acushnet found a name board belonging to the missing steamer in a potential place of the foundering floating in the sea covered by fuel oil.