 By the time of her construction, Palmers had come to be regarded as one of the "more successful builders [of this type of ship]".She was laid down on 12 January 1898 at Palmers' Jarrow shipyard and launched on 11 January 1899, at a cost of £50,977.She arrived at Portsmouth for completion on 31 August 1899, and this was achieved in February 1900.