 "George W. Goethals" was laid down under Maritime Commission contract 7 January 1941 by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Company of Pascagoula, Mississippi; launched as Pascagoula 23 January 1942; delivered to the Army 18 September 1942; and renamed for the builder of the Panama Canal George W. Goethals.During World War II "George W. Goethals" operated as an Army transport out of New York City, Boston, and Gulf Coast ports to ports in North Africa, France, and the United Kingdom.After the war, she continued transatlantic runs carrying military dependents between the United States and Europe.