Delivered to the Nourse Line in May 1904, she was the shipping company's first steamship.
She was built by Charles Connell & Company Limited, Glasgow and had single screw, triple expansion, 425 nhp engines.
Like other Nourse Line ships, she was primarily used for the transportation of Indian indentured labourers to the colonies.
Details of some of these voyages are as follows: Indus was captured by SMS Emden on 10 September 1914, bound from Calcutta to Bombay for use as an Indian Expeditionary Force transport.
Emden sank her by scuttling and gunfire at position 11°00′N 83°45′E / 11.000°N 83.750°E / 11.000; 83.750 after having taken aboard all her complement.