The designed capability to handle such large and heavy cargo as loaded rail cars made the ships critical in transport of assembled military equipment. Under command of Cmdr. Harold "H.J." McNulty (USN), "Seatrain New Jersey" as USS "Lakehurst" (one battle star WWII) participated in the Allied invasion of North Africa as part of the fleet's Southern Attack Group. She after made multiple additional voyages from United States ports to North Africa with Army cargo and occasionally troops before transfer to the Army to continue in similar service. "Seatrain New York" as USS "Kitty Hawk" operated in the Pacific mainly as an aircraft transport. "Kitty Hawk" rushed the 3d Marine Defense Battalion and planes of Marine Air Groups to Midway Island when intelligence indicated a Japanese attack there. The ship transported aircraft and supplies to support the campaigns in the Southwest Pacific for the remainder of the war. "Hammondsport", the former "Seatrain Havana", transported PT boats from New York to San Francisco and then remained in the Pacific largely transporting assembled aircraft as in the case of "Kitty Hawk".