The ship put to sea from Rio de Janeiro on 16 February 1918, and entered Salvador on 20 February. Two days later, she departed for Baltimore, Maryland, with no stops scheduled, carrying the manganese ore. The ship was thought to be overloaded when she left Brazil, as her maximum capacity was . Before leaving port, Commander Worley had submitted a report that the starboard engine had a cracked cylinder and was not operative. This report was confirmed by a survey board, which recommended, however, that the ship be returned to the United States. She made an unscheduled stop in Barbados because the water level was over the Plimsoll line, indicating that it was overloaded, but investigations in Rio proved the ship had been loaded and secured properly. "Cyclops" then set out for Baltimore on 4 March, and was rumored to have been sighted on 9 March by the molasses tanker "Amolco" near Virginia, but this was denied by "Amolco"s captain. Additionally, because "Cyclops" was not due in Baltimore until 13 March, the ship was highly unlikely to have been near Virginia on 9 March, as that location would have placed her only about a day from Baltimore. In any event, "Cyclops" never arrived in Baltimore, and no wreckage of the ship has ever been found.