Sister of the Dover Castle she was built for the Intermediate service and in January 1910 undertook the first London-Cape-Delgoa Bay- Mombasa sailing.
In August 1914 she became a troopship and took part in the famous six ship Union-Castle convoy which brought 4000 troops to Europe.
She was commissioned as a hospital ship for 755 patients on 6th July 1915 and at Gallipoli and Mudros acted as transfer ship to White Star's Britannic before going to East Africa for duty with the Indian Government.
In 1916 she was back in the Mediterranean for service which included voyages from the Adriatic to North Africa with wounded Serbs. On 23rd February 1917 she was stopped by a U-boat and after checking that she was complying with the Hague Convention was allowed to proceed.
She returned to commercial service on 2nd April 1919 and resumed her original run until 1931 when she was transferred to the Round Africa service.
In July 1939 she was sold for breaking up but acquired by the Admiralty for use as an accommodation ship for small vessels first in the River Humber and then at Scapa Flow.
She was finally broken up by Thos.W. Ward and Inverkeithing in 1945.
