Built as a passenger-cargo vessel under yard No 166 by Newport News Shipbuilding Company, Newport News, Virginia for the Matson Navigation Company, San Francisco
16 August 1913 launched as the MATSONIA.
Tonnage 9,728 grt, 9,700 dwt., dim. 152.8 x 17.7 x 8.8M (draught), length bpp. 146.3m.
Powered by one 4-cyl. triple expansion steam engine, 9,000 ihp., speed 16 knots.
Accommodation for 251 first class and 78 third class passengers.
November 1913 completed.
Used in the liner service between San Francisco and Hawaii, she made the passage between this two ports mostly in 6 days.
22 January 1918 acquired by the US Navy renamed in USS MATSONIA (ID-1589)
Got a armament of 4 – 6 inch, 2 – pdr. and two machine guns.
01 March 1918 commissioned at New York as a troop transport for 3000 troops under command of Captain John M. Lubby.
14 March she left for France with on board troops and army cargo, all together she made six roundtrips between the USA and France
During her second voyage the convoy in which she was sailing was attacked by a German U-boat, the U-boat was sunk about 800 metres from the MATSONIA.
During her time as a transport she carried 13,329 troops to France and only 10 were transported back to the USA.
After the war she made an eight other cross Atlantic sailings with returning troops, altogether in this eight voyages she returned home 23,000 troops.
20 August 1919 after arrival in New York she was decommissioned on 12 September and handed back to her former owner on 17 September.
Again in the service between San Francisco and Hawaii.
September 1932 laid up.
March 1937 sold to Alaska Packers Association and renamed ETOLIN, named after Etolin Island in Alaska.
She was used in Alaska.
August 1940 bare-boat chartered by the USA Army, and renamed in USAT ETOLIN.
In 1940–41, she made voyages to Alaska, the Philippines and Hawaii and, in early 1942, steamed down to South America before returning to the Hawaiian transport route. Later in that year, ETOLIN went to Baltimore, Maryland, where she was extensively overhauled. After arriving back at San Francisco, California, in July 1943, she operated from the U.S. to Australia and Hawaii. After repairs that lasted from the last part of 1944 through first seven months of 1945, USAT ETOLIN twice crossed the Pacific to Japan and Okinawa. During early 1946, she served between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Panama, before being turned over to the War Shipping Administration in late April 1946 for layup in the James River (Virginia) Reserve Fleet. ETOLIN was scrapped at Baltimore, Maryland, arrived Baltimore 12 March 1957 and was scrapped by Patapsco Scrap Company there.
Maldives 1997 3r sg2688, scott2226f
Source: http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Matsonia_(ID-1589)