 The ship was laid down on June 16, 1942, then launched on August 31, 1942.She ran aground off Olifantsbos Point, near Cape Point, on November 27, 1942, during heavy fog while on her maiden voyage from New Orleans to Suez.She was sailing close to the coast – as she usually did when the sea was rough, due to the German U-boats actively patrolling the area – and the captain misjudged the ship's location because of the heavy fog.