Patapsco was laid down 25 May 1942 by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation, Seattle; launched 18 August 1942; sponsored by Mrs. W. S. Zane; and commissioned 4 February 1943.

From there, on 27 March, she steamed southwest to New Caledonia, whence she transported gasoline and other petroleum products to ships and bases in the Solomons and New Hebrides until November 1944.

After the war, she continued her Ulithi-Palau runs, then, in November, shifted her base to Guam whence she distributed fuel and light freight and carried passengers amongst the Marianas.

On 6 August she sailed west again, this time to the Philippines, whence she carried aviation gasoline to Saigon, returning to Pearl Harbor 7 December.

[2] A breakdown in her engine systems, namely a cracked cylinder liner, slowed Patapsco to one-third of her full speed, and when the Castle Bravo detonation took place, she was still about 180 to 195 nautical miles east of Bikini.

[2] The Castle Bravo detonation was much larger than had originally been anticipated, and Patapsco was in the range of nuclear fallout, which began landing on the ship in the mid-afternoon of 2 March.

Reinstated on the Navy List in the fall of 1965 and recommissioned a third time 18 June 1966, Patapsco was again assigned to the Pacific Fleet and homeported at Pearl Harbor.

Until mid-February 1967, with interruptions for R&R at Hong Kong and availability at Subic, she operated off South Vietnam under Commander Naval Support Activity Danang, from Da Nang to Huế, and Cửa Việt.

Arctic Storm then spent four to five years laid up in Lake Union, until local demand for North Pacific pollock and cod rose.

Arctic Storm was converted to catch and process into surimi, a product common in Asian markets, yet at that time was virtually unknown in the United States.