"hawaiian merchant" was launched 12 april 1941, second in a dual launching and minutes after sister ship "hawaiian shipper" had been launched, with the wife of the head of the hawaiian sugar planters association, richard a cooke, as sponsor. the ship arrived in los angeles on her maiden voyage on 22 may 1941 leaving the next day for honolulu. at that time matson's freighters were already heavily involved in a buildup in the remote parts of the pacific supporting construction of military installations, particularly airfields that would allow the army to fly b-17 bombers to the philippines by a southern route avoiding the japanese mandated islands in the central pacific. upon the attack on pearl harbor matson's commercial role essentially stopped as it went on a war footing, becoming the war shipping administration (wsa) agent for port operations between from the west coast to australia, new zealand and, as the japanese were pushed back the bases of the southwest pacific and pacific theaters and as agent for wsa ships throughout the world.