 When the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 made the high seas unsafe for German shipping, she took refuge in an American port and was interned, as the United States at that time was still a neutral nation.When the United States was drawn into the war on the side opposed to Germany, America lost its neutrality and seized the "Tübingen".In April 1917, the cargo ship was taken over by the United States Shipping Board (USSB).