USS Matsonia, a 13,500-ton (displacement) transport, was built in 1913 at Newport News, Virginia, as the civilian passenger steamship Matsonia. The Navy took her over in January 1918 and placed her in commission in March of that year. Prior to the 11 November 1918 Armistice, she made six round-trip voyages across the Atlantic, taking over 13,000 persons to the European war zone. After the end of the fighting, Matsonia returned more than 23,000 personnel to the U.S. in eight trips. She was decommissioned and returned to her owners in September 1919.