USS F.J. Luckenbach, a 8074 gross ton cargo ship, was built at Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1917 as the civilian freighter of the same name. Taken over by the Navy and placed in commission in January 1918, she carried horses, mules and other military cargo from the U.S. to France during World War I and for the three months immediately following the 11 November 1918 Armistice. After five such voyages the ship was converted to a troop transport and made two more trips bringing veterans of the European conflict home. USS F.J. Luckenbach was decommissioned in August 1919 and turned over to the U.S. Shipping Board for return to her owners.