[2] Cressida was a cargo vessel built in Lübeck in early 1939 as yard number 380 by the shipbuilder Lübecker Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft,[3] for A Kirsten, Hamburg, which was its port of registry.

[3] The ship participated in the German invasion of Denmark in April 1940, escorting the steamer Rugard and tugs Monsun and Passat alongside V 103 Sylvia and several minesweepers.

[3] After the war, the ship was given into the control of The Netherlands and was officially transferred on 5 September 1947, delivered by the German tugboat Nestor to Amsterdam from Bremerhaven.

In 1952, the ship was completely renovated by the Koniklijke Maatschappij te Velde, Vlissingen, Zeeland, receiving a new Sulzer diesel engine.

[3] On 23 December 1962 while carrying cargo from Haifa, Gernik ran aground on Karpathos off the coast of Greece during a storm.