clear whether the new engines had been installed that quickly as they were being contracted for months before. The U.S. registry information for 1927 shows the ship with signal MCJS, , , registry length of , beam, depth of , 2,800 indicated horsepower, home port Tampa and a registered crew of 45. Shipping reports show the MV City of Dalhart in the Pacific and Indian Ocean trade by 1928. On 21 February 1940 the Maritime Commission, owner of the ship, awarded United States Lines the routes and ships of the Commission owned American Pioneer Line. City of Dalhart was among the ships involved and awarded with a charter bid of $4,776.20 per month. After tests on land the Brodie landing system was first tested in September 1943 for shipboard use with an installation on City of Dalhart. Staff Sergeant R. A. Gregory made ten good takeoffs and hookups with a Stinson L-5 light plane. Navy service City of Dalhart was acquired by the Navy 29 February 1944 under bareboat charter from the War Shipping Administration (WSA). Moore Dry Dock Company, Oakland, California, converted the ship into a barracks ship capable of supporting 1,200 men. On 2 June 1944 the ship was commissioned as USS City of Dalhart at San Francisco, California designated IX-156 to report to the Pacific Fleet. City of Dalhart sailed from San Francisco 9 June 1944 for Pearl Harbor arriving in mid June. On arrival the ship became the forward base command headquarters, operations and administrative center and barracks ship for the 301st Naval Construction Battalion ("Seabees") (NCB 301) which was equipped for major salvage and harbor construction work. NCB 301 was one of the largest Seabee battalions and was first to be headquartered afloat and to be equipped with dredges. On 20 June 1944 NCB 301 was attached to Service Squadron (ServRon) 12 headquartered in as ServRon 12 flagship. Advance elements of NCB 301, arriving at Pearl Harbor 1 May 1944, had encamped at Aiea, Hawaii with detachments still in the Atlantic and others bringing large dredges to the Pacific areas. The battalion organized and awaited the ship that was to be its hadquarters and base in advance areas. On arrival the Seabees of the battalion at Aiea began further preparing the ship for use as their headquarters and home base. At the same time they were integrating with the ship's crew to begin working together