SS President Coolidge motors ranged from a tenth horsepower to the 13,250 horsepower main motors. The ship had refrigerated cargo space. "President Coolidge" was initially designed for 350 first class, 150 "special" or intermediate class passengers with space for 1,260 passengers of all classes and a crew of 300. The ship was launched on 21 February 1931 after Mrs. Calvin C. Coolidge broke a bottle of water that came from a brook on the Coolidge farm in Vermont on the bow. "President Hoover" and "President Coolidge" ran between San Francisco and Manila via Kobe and Shanghai, and some round the World voyages that
SS President Coolidge who were advised that US military would perform a full military funeral service and he will be buried with his parents. Pfc.Joseph A. LaValley was the first of more than 50 Transportation Company men and women at a retreat parade where Lt. Robert D. McCaughley presented him with a citation honoring him for courage and discipline displayed during the sinking of the U.S. Army Transport President Coolidge in the South Pacific. The loss of critical equipment being carried in "President Coolidge", forcing redistribution of scarce local stores, combined with loss of the ship when shipping was critically short, delaying deployment