West Neris had been built for the United States Maritime Commission (USMC) and operated by the United States Shipping Board (USSB), her port of registry being New Orleans.
In 1928, she was sold to the Mississippi Steamship Company. She was sold back to the USSB in 1933. With the abolition of the USSB, she was transferred to the United States Shipping Board Bureau in 1935, and laid up in New Orleans. During this period the ship was neglected and the condition of her engine deteriorated. In 1937 she was transferred to the United States Maritime Commission. On 26 September 1941 she was chartered to Irish Shipping Ltd, through United States Lines at £3,245 per month.
Read more about this topic: SS Irish Oak (1919)