After fleeing to Britain after the German invasion in 1940, she was requisitioned by the British Ministry of War Transport, renamed HMS Princess Beatrix and converted to a troopship at Harland and Wolff's yard in Belfast.
She was fitted with "degaussing" coils as protection against German magnetic mines and sailed with her original civilian crew on board in addition to a Dutch Marine detachment.
On 22 February 1941 Princess Beatrix arrived at Scapa Flow, where men of 3 Commando boarded, as well as Royal Engineer demolition experts and a contingent of Norwegian troops.
[2] In late 1941 she was selected to join the forces gathered at Freetown, Sierra Leone, for "Operation Pilgrim", the planned occupation of the Canary Islands, if either the Spanish or the Germans captured Gibraltar.
However, it soon became clear that Franco did not plan to join the Axis, nor was he prepared to allow the German troops free passage through Spain to attack Gibraltar, and the operation was cancelled.
[2] On 4 November 1941 the British navy tanker RFA Olwen reported that she had been attacked by a German raider, between Natal, Brazil and Freetown.
Princess Beatrix and the British ship Invicta landed men of the South Saskatchewan Regiment on "Green Beach" to the west of Dieppe at Pourville.
[2] After repairs Princess Beatrix was assigned to Training Squadron D based on the Clyde, carrying out exercises with Special Forces and practising the landing of ground troops on enemy beaches.
On the evening of Friday, 13 November 1942, Princess Beatrix left Algiers with units of the British 78th Infantry Division for Bône, close to the front line.
During her time in the Mediterranean Princess Beatrix transported 15,700 men, including a large number of German and Italian POWs while sailing 12,000 miles.
On 16 August 1943 Princess Beatrix participated in a joint Anglo-American landing at Cape Scarletta, code-named "Operation Blackcock" aimed at Messina.
[2] [1] After the Armistice with Italy was announced on 8 September 1943, Allied troops were rushed from north Africa to the Italian mainland and Princess Beatrix made a number of voyages between Brindisi and Taranto.
[2] During the invasion of southern France in August 1944 Princess Beatrix was in convoy CR-1, landing French troops at Cap Nègre [fr] between Hyères and Saint-Tropez.
In her two years in the Mediterranean she had sailed 42,755 miles and transported 26,142 men, including a large number of POWs, participated in eight landing operations with American, British and French troops aboard, without loss.
[2] Princess Beatrix operated for a time between the Clyde, Avonmouth and Liverpool before she was decommissioned to be adapted for service in tropical waters at D & W Henderson Ltd., Glasgow.
On 29 September the ship entered the port of Tanjung Priok to take Dutch women and children from Japanese concentration camps.
[2] Post-war shortages of materials and labour meant that it was 31 May 1948 before Prinses Beatrix could return to service, sailing for the first time to Harwich from the Hook of Holland.