The vessel was built at the Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company yard of W. B. Thompson in Dundee, Scotland for Captain Charles Barrie, and launched on 3 December 1891.

In 1911 both vessels were acquired (Juteopolis for an estimated £6,500) by Liverpool shipowner George Windram and Co. and used for general cargoes.

In 1917, ownership switched to the Marine Navigation Company of Canada, owned by Sir William Garthwaite, and three years later the vessel was renamed Garthpool.

The ship was mothballed for two years from 1921 after a slump in freight prices then resumed general cargo duties.

[5] One notable crew member was the folk singer Stan Hugill, who sailed on Garthpool's final trip.