The "Saugatuck" was chartered by Pacific Tankers on 30 October 1947, but was reacquired by the Navy on 22 January 1948 and assigned to the Naval Transportation Service (NTS). Assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) (later Military Sealift Command) as USNS "Saugatuck" (T-AOT-75) with a civilian crew on its establishment in October 1949, she remained in the Pacific until early 1950 when she extended her range to the Caribbean and Atlantic. With the outbreak of war in Korea, the ship became primarily engaged in shuttling fuel from the west coast and the Persian Gulf to Japan and, in December 1950, to Korea.