 "Western Union" was built to replace another schooner, "John W. Atkins", in the servicing of undersea telegraph cables.While she was owned by the Western Union Thompson Fish Company, "Western Union" was almost immediately leased to the Western Union Telegraph Co. From 1939 to 1974, the schooner was used to check and repair the signal cable from Key West to Cuba, as well as to lay undersea telegraph cable throughout the Caribbean.In all, "Western Union" laid more than of undersea telegraph cable.