Originally build as a cargo/passenger liner for the Grace Shipping Company, it was later converted to a training vessel for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Santa Mercedes was built by Bethlehem Steel at its Sparrows Point Shipyard and delivered to the Grace Lines as the last of four cargo/passenger vessels intended to modernize its fleet.

Fourteen training cruises from 1986–98, typically lasting around sixty days during the winter, were used to provide cadets with practical experience.

[4] The Patriot State was laid up in the James River, Virginia as part of the Maritime Administrations National Defense Reserve Fleet.

[5] In 2001, the Cape Bon was moved to Buzzards Bay, MA for preparation to replace TS Patriot State as the Training Ship for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and served there until 2023 Patriot State continued to be used by various law enforcement and military services for close-quarter counter-terrorist training exercises while berthed in the James River Reserve Fleet.