I have heard many stories about the history of this barge, most of which I later learned were probably not true. So, I hesitate to expound much on it here. I do believe that it was American and came here AFTER the U.S. invasion. It's my understanding that during that time period "tanker" barges were often built to be disposable, and allowing them to run aground or sink once their cargo was off-loaded was expected (there is a nice SCUBA dive on Guam on such a vessel).