Satsuma, a 4204 gross ton steel freighter, was built at Sunderland, England, in 1901. She operated commercially under the British flag until 1914, when she was transferred to United States shipping registry. At the beginning of 1918 the ship was delivered to the U.S. Navy and placed in commission as USS Satsuma (ID # 2038). She made one round-trip voyage to France in October-December 1918. In January 1919, a month after the end of that trip, Satsuma was decommissioned and returned to her owner.