"Paoli" was acquired by the United States Navy from the Maritime Administration as political tensions in the Middle East heightened. The ship was assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS), as USNS "Paoli" (T-AO-157) on 15 October 1956, and was operated by Marine Transport Lines Inc. "Paoli" served until returned to MARAD custody and struck from the Navy List on 2 October 1957.