Powered by two Doxford diesel developing engines producing 4,250 horsepower (3,170 kW), the ship had a top speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).

[1] Boonaroo was commissioned on 28 October 1953, operating between Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne for the Australian Shipping Board.

[1] She completed one voyage to South Vietnam as a merchant vessel, leaving on 17 May 1966 and arriving back in Australia on 8 July 1966.

[1][3][4] The crew were replaced by RAN personnel (most were drafted at short notice from Victorian naval base HMAS Lonsdale, while two ANL engineers aboard had their reserve commissions activated), and spent from 3 to 10 March at Point Wilson, loading a cargo of bombs for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and general cargo for the establishment and support of Australian facilities in Vietnam, including prefabricated kitchen structures, telegraph poles, and a fuel tanker.

[1][5] The 69-day commission was one of the shortest in RAN history: the duration meant that Boonaroo remained in ANL livery during her voyage, and no cap tallies were created for the ship's company.