Built for the Red Star Line by Harland & Wolff, in the ship yards of Belfast, the steamship 'Lapland' was launched on June 27, 1908. She made her maiden voyage in April of 1909 and sailed regularly from Antwerp to New York. During World War I the 'Lapland' was taken over by the British White Star Line and by 1917 outfitted for troop transport. In 1919 she reverted to Belgian ownership and settled into her routine as a reliable trans-Atlantic steamer until 1930.