the motorship was built by , helsingør (elsinore), denmark. the ship was launched 14 september 1935 as "pacific reefer", but performed trials as "yrsa" and in 1936 was renamed for the refrigerated fruit trade for denmark's j. lauritzen shipping line as "african reefer", imo 5004362. in 1938 the ship transported one of the first refrigerated fruit cargoes from puerto armuelles, panama to san francisco after the u.s. shipping lines ceased operation on the route.