The United States Maritime Commission bought her in 1941, and a German air attack sank her in 1942.

William Hamilton and Company built the ship in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde, launching her on 1 October 1920 and completing her later that month.

[2] She had a single screw, driven by three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine that was rated at 507 NHP[2] and gave her a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h).

[4] In 1915 the United States Steel Products Co. acquired Howick Hall and registered her in New York.

On 24 August 1918 took her over from the Army, commissioning her at Baltimore, Maryland as USS Howick Hall with the identification number (ID) 1303.

On 25 December 1918 she left Newport News and crossed the Atlantic to Le Verdon-sur-Mer, where she discharged her cargo.

On 13 May 1926 Howick Hall and the motor tanker Gulf of Venezuela collided in the Ambrose Channel.

Howick Hall grounded on Roamer's Reef, but was only slightly damaged, and was refloated the same day.

[7] Howick Hall remained in US merchant service until October 1929, when the Exeter Shipping Co bought her, renamed her Dovenden and registered her in London.

She kept her UK official number, but she was given the new code letters LFKH and four-letter call sign GQWN.

[13] On 14 July 1941 the US Treasury announced that the United States Maritime Commission had bought four Italian merchant ships, including Ircania.

[15] On 31 December 1941 the Commission appointed the South Atlantic Steamship Company to manage Raceland.

[16] Raceland may have detached from SC 69 before it reached Liverpool, as she proceeded to Loch Ewe on the west coast of Scotland to join Convoy PQ 13.

[18] After six days Hatlestad's boat reached Sørøya in the north of German-occupied Norway, but by then six of the men in her had died.

The German authorities interned survivors in different camps, including two in Marlag und Milag Nord and one in Obermaßfeld.