On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Lurline was bound for San Francisco from Honolulu on its regular run. Upon receiving news about the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Lurline was immediately diverted from its course, secured for water-tightness and blacked out. It began a race for safety and arrived in San Francisco on December 10. Immediately thereafter, the vessel was transformed quickly into a troop transport and was handed over to the U.S. Maritime Commission on December 11.
