Originally laid down in 1949 as a passenger liner for American President Lines, she was to have been christened President Jackson. However, due to the Korean War she was taken over by the Navy and completed in 1952 as the troop transport USNS Barrett (T-AP-196). This ship, and her two sister-ships, were the last troop transports acquired and operated by the Navy. After service in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts USNS Barrett was laid up in 1973. She was then transferred to the NY State Maritime College and renamed Empire State, to serve as a replacement for their aging training ship, the WW-II vintage Empire State IV. Retired in 1990, this ship was finally scrapped in 2007.