She ran between Boston and New York until 1917, when the United States Navy commissioned her as USS Aroostook, and converted her into a minelayer.

In 1941 the Navy tried to convert Aroostook back into a cargo ship, but found it impractical due to her age.

The Quintard Iron Works Company of New York designed the three ships to have enough freeboard and structural strength to operate offshore in the North Atlantic, but also be able to fit into the ports of New Haven, New London, Providence, Fall River, and New Bedford.

This made Massachusetts and Bunker Hill the swiftest cargo ships on the coastal route between Boston and New York.

[6] On her maiden voyage, on 11 July 1907, she steamed along Long Island Sound from New York to Fall River in seven and a half hours.

[12] The three sister ships soon achieved the New Haven Railroad's aim to monopolise the sea route between Boston and New York.

In November 1907 the New England Navigation Company announced that from January 1908 the three ships would start a direct cargo service between Boston and New York, at prices about 25 percent less than was currently in force.

At 01:30 hrs on 7 July that year, Massachusetts accidentally rammed Bunker Hill in fog off Point Judith, Rhode Island.

Massachusetts was going dead slow, and heard Bunker Hill give a fog signal on her steam whistle.

Bunker Hill continued her voyage to Boston; disembarked her passengers; and then headed for Erie Basin, Brooklyn to be repaired.

[24] On 13 June 1915, C. K. G. Billings' steam yacht Vanadis accidentally rammed Bunker Hill in dense fog off Eaton's Neck in Long Island Sound.

At about 19:15 hrs Vanadis sighted Bunker Hill ahead, and immediately reversed her engines, but too late to overcome her momentum and prevent a collision.

The yacht lost her bowsprit and much of her rigging; her bow was crumpled; and her foredeck was littered with débris from the passenger ship.

On 15 November Bunker Hill was renamed Aroostook, after a band of the Mi'kmaq Nation, and given the Naval Registry Identification Number ID-1256.

In naval sea trials off Provincetown, Massachusetts, Aroostook and Shawmut had shown higher fuel consumption than the Navy expected.

On 11 June Aroostook joined Shawmut, the minelayer USS Saranac, and the tender Black Hawk off Cape Cod, and the next day the four ships sailed for Europe.

On 14 December 1918 Aroostook and Shawmut left Portland in England, and two days after Christmas they reached Hampton Roads.

At the beginning of April 1919, Norfolk Navy Yard converted Aroostook into a flying boat tender, to be part of the support detachment in Newfoundland.

Tanks for 5,000 US gallons (19,000 L) of gasoline, and cradles for two Curtiss MF flying boats were installed aboard her, and her crew accommodation was modified.

[4][30] After a fortnight of repairs in Brooklyn, and a week at Newport, Rhode Island awaiting orders, Aroostook embarked supplies and mines at Portsmouth, Virginia.

On 29 August Aroostook, commanded by Commander Wilbur R van Auken, left Hawaii to take up a position 1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km) from California and 300 nautical miles (560 km) from California, as one of the support ships along the intended flight route.

[4] Admiral Eberle, Chief of Naval Operations, stated that if the flying boat touched down intact, the ocean current would take it toward the Hawaiian Islands.

On 5 February 1943 she was struck from the Naval Register; transferred to the War Shipping Administration; and laid up in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet.

By April 1946, Anthony Cornero's Seven Seas Trading and Steamship Co had bought Bunker Hill; renamed her Lux; and registered her in Los Angeles.

[37] However, by that July, United States Attorney General Tom C. Clark was backing a bill moved by Senator William Knowland from California to outlaw gambling ships.

That evening they was released on $2,000 bail each, but Long Beach Police Department officers impounded most of the taxis that were serving the ship, and arrested the crews.

Either Cornero or the crews (sources differ) rejected the offer, leaving 800 gamblers stranded aboard Lux.

Garvin sought an injunction against the authorities who impounded his boats, but on 10 August, Superior Judge Leslie Still in Long Beach refused to grant it.

[45] Also on 12 August, Long Beach Police released Garvin's 11 water taxis, but warned that they would impound them again if they tried to take gamblers to Lux again.

[51] United States Attorney James M Carter said Lux would be turned over to the Collector of Customs for the Port of Los Angeles, and a libel would be filed against the ship for engaging in business other than the coastal trade for which she was licensed.