Completed on September 24, 1945, the "Baton Rouge" did not operate during World War operations, as the surrender of Imperial Japan was announced on August 15, 1945. "Baton Rouge" transported cargo that was not delivered to the East Coast of the United States and West Coast of the United States due to the shortage of ships during the war. In March 1, 1946 she docked at Newport, Rhode Island with 1,000,000 feet of Douglas fir and western hemlock lumber from Canada. Due to World War II there had been a shortage of lumber from Canada. On 29 November 1946 the SS "Baton Rouge Victory" collided in thick fog with the freighter SS "Sea Centaur" at harbor near the San Pedro Breakwater, near the entrance to Los Angeles Harbor at night. Visibility was 150 feet that night. The "Sea Centaur", owned by the Matson Navigation Company, was inbound from San Francisco. The "Sea Centaur" had damage to her bow above the water line from the ramming of the Isthmian Steamship Company's "Baton Rouge Victory". "Baton Rouge Victory" had just steamed in from the Golden Gate. The "Baton Rouge Victory" captain, J. A. Keerson, reported on the damage to the deck and flying bridge. After World War II, in 1947, she was laid up James River in the National Defense Reserve Fleet.