MS Akaroa was originally built in 1914 by Harland & Wolff of Belfast, the ship was known as the Euripides when she sailed for the Aberdeen and Commonwealth Line. She was 14,947 gross tons at the time and could make a top speed of 15 knots. Her shakedown cruise took place in June 1914, with her maiden voyage from London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 to Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

 leaving on 1 July 1914. Two days after her arrival, she was taken over for Australian troop transport; the following year she returned to the UK-Australia run but would continue transporting Australian troops through 1919, when she was overhauled at Belfast.

In 1929, the Euripides was transferred to the White Star Line

White Star Line

The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...

, and in 1932 was again transferred, this time to the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line. The company had her re-fitted to 15,128 gross tons, and renamed the ship the Akaroa, sailing her from Southampton

Southampton

Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 to Wellington

Wellington

Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 by way of the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

. On 1 September 1939,two days after the declaration of war, under Captain W H Hartman, she set sail for Auckland, Arriving on the 8th of October. The voyage was an epic one and the passengers presented the Captain with a silver salver in memory of, "an epic and perilous voyage". Captain Hartmann was awarded the OBE in 1943. In 1945 she was again re-fitted, and continued the UK-NZ run. Finally, in May 1954, she was sent to the breakers at Antwerp.