Finland and the 1912 Olympics
The American Olympic Committee (AOC) chartered Finland—after a proposal for sailing on Oceanic was rejected—to take the American team to the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. After setting aside rooms for all the team members, additional space aboard the ship was sold for the benefit of the AOC. The delegation of 164 athletes left New York at 09:30 on June 14. Finland 's dining rooms were divided during the voyage, so that the athletes on board would have "their own cuisine" and not be tempted to partake in "promiscuous indulgence in the great variety of food" on the ship. The AOC, aided by Finland 's crew, made several accommodations for shipboard training en route to the Games.

A cork track, 100 yards (91 m) long and wide enough for two men running abreast, was installed on the top deck, especially for the sprinters. Longer distance runners would practice their starts on the track, and train by running laps around the deck, which was about one-tenth of a mile (160 m) for one circuit.

Swimmers practiced in a canvas tank, 15 feet (4.6 m) long by 5 feet (1.5 m) wide, constructed on deck. While practicing their strokes, they would wear a belt suspended from an overhead rope that kept them in the middle of the tank.

The cycling team worked on the forward deck with bikes secured to the ship's structure. Some of the individual athletes came up with ideas to further their training while at sea. Discus champion James Duncan had the ship's carpenter bore a hole in the middle of a discus, through which he attached a rope tied to the ship's rail. Duncan would then throw the discus out to sea, and then haul it back in by the rope.

Theodore Roosevelt Pell, the only U.S. competitor in any of the tennis events, set up a 10-foot (3 m) backstop on the after deck, practicing for hours each day. Finland arrived at Antwerp on the morning of June 24 after a ten-day voyage over smooth seas. While the ship took on stores, the athletes completed their training at a local athletic club. Sailing at noon on June 26, Finland reached Sweden four days later.

There were no injuries during the entirety of the voyage,and, unlike the trip of the next American Olympic delegation in 1920 — when the so-called "Mutiny of the Matoika" took place—no threats of a strike because of bad conditions aboard the ship.