[2] On 18 December 1929, Algonquin was in collision with RMS Fort Victoria in the Ambrose Channel, off New York in thick fog.

Fort Victoria was hit on the port side by the bows of Algonquin, which was on a voyage from Galveston, Texas to New York.

Her maiden voyage as a hospital ship was from New Orleans, Louisiana to Gibraltar, then Oran, Algeria and Bizerte, Tunisia ending in Naples, Italy.

On 15 August, she was one of twelve hospital ships supporting Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern France.

She then spent some time operating between Livorno, Italy, Marseilles, France, Naples and Oran, returning to Charleston on 22 February 1945.

Between May and September, Algonquin made four return trips between the United States and Europe, with one arrival in New York harbor on 2 July.

Two more return trips to Marseilles and Naples were made and then Algonquin was drydocked in December for conversion to trooping duties again.

On completion of the work in January 1946, she was employed to repatriate American troops and Italian war brides from Europe.