How about having it operated by Pan Am on behalf of the US Merchant Marine?
Kaiser was king of the Liberty Ships and the Hercules was conceived as a flying
Liberty Ship.
Using a 747 as a baseline for power comparisons is misleading, as the 747-400 empty weight
is about the same as the loaded weight of the Hercules. However there is a massive difference
in aerodynamics, for one the wing-loading of the HFB-1 is about one quarter the loading of a
747-400. This makes a huge difference in how much power is needed to achieve and sustain
flight.
Perception, is a funny thing, as by the time I was first able to see the Hercules at McMinville
I had been working for Boeing for a few years, and was used to being around 747s on a regular
basis. Including doing design work on the 986K and 1 Million MTOW versions.
So the Hercules didn't actually appear all that large, greater wingspan to be sure, but overall
interesting but not particularly awe-inspiring.