The motorship Oranje was built for the Dutch Nederland Line's popular East Indies colonial service to Batavia (Java) by the Nederlandsche S.B. Mij of Amsterdam in 1938. Registered at 20,017 tons gross, she measured 656 feet in length with an 83 foot beam, and was designed to accomodate 665 passengers in three classes together with 52 additional Fourth class berths. Driven by triple screws powered from 37,500bhp Sulzer diesel engines, she could cruise at 21 knots but actually achieved 26 knots on her trials making her the fastest motor liner afloat.

Launched on 8^th September 1938 and completed in June the following year, she cleared Amsterdam on her maiden voyage to Batavia on 4^th September just as the Second World War was beginning. Initially, the Netherlands remained neutral but Oranje was nevertheless laid up in December 1939 until, in February 1941, she sailed to Sydney where she was converted into a hospital ship. Entering service with the Royal Australian Navy but still under Dutch registry, her war duties lasted until July 1946 when she was finally handed back to the Netherland Line. Her original owners continued to operate her until September 1964 when, despite a costly refit in 1959, she was sold to Flotta Lauro (of Rome) and renamed Angelina Lauro. After an extensive rebuild at Genoa lasting nearly two years, she returned to scheduled services in the spring of 1966 but was relegated to cruising after 1972.