The SS SUEVIC was the fifth of the Jubilee-class liners built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast specifically for the White Star Line Australian run. She was launched on December 8, 1900, and set sail on her maiden voyage to Sydney on March 23, 1901. Her large hold made her the ideal vessel for transporting perishable goods. Before long she was requisitioned for use as a troopship and carried troops to Capetown to fight in the Boer War.