[1] Due to British Royal Navy control of the seas she was caught in New York at the outbreak of World War I.

Chartered by the American Red Cross to take medical personnel and supplies to Europe and renamed Red Cross, she left New York in mid-September, 1914[2] and called at Falmouth, England; Paulliac, France; and Rotterdam, The Netherlands, before recrossing the Atlantic in October with American refugees on board.

Powhatan was twice attacked by a submarine in the Bay of Biscay on 4 April 1918 but survived unscathed due to prompt location and depth charging by escorting destroyers.

Powhatan was decommissioned on 2 September 1919 and was turned over to the Army Transport Service at New York, and finally to the United States Shipping Board.

In August, 1920, the ship was renamed New Rochelle and under charter to the Baltic Steamship Corp of America, sailed from New York to Danzig.