It was built as HMS Juliet, a Shakespearian-class naval trawler of the Royal Navy at the start of the Second World War, and sold into merchant service at the end of the conflict.

Juliet was built by Cook, Welton & Gemmell at Beverley, Yorkshire, at the beginning of World War II.

[2] Juliet served in home waters until November 1942 when it took part in Operation Torch, the Allied landings in French North Africa.

At the end of the conflict Juliet was no longer required by the Royal Navy and in 1947 it was converted into a cargo vessel and sold into the British Merchant service as Peterjon.

On 8 March 1960, while sailing through Galway Bay carrying a cargo of whiskey, stained glass and yarn, it was caught in a severe storm and ran onto Finnis Rock, Inisheer, Aran Islands.