Roll Call was built in 1875 by John Readhead & Sons in South Shields, UK.

[2][4] In 1881 the ship was acquired by O Prior & Co and renamed Ellen;[1] she was registered in Copenhagen with J Svendsen serving as captain.

[3][4][5] In 1898 Peter Mærsk-Møller handed captaincy of the Laura to one of his sons, Hans Nielsen Jeppesen Møller.

[5][6][7] Peter Mærsk Møller attached a blue banner with a white seven pointed star to both sides of the funnel of Laura when his wife recovered from illness.

On 27 August 1941, she was attacked and damaged by Soviet Navy motor torpedo boats and was beached to avoid sinking.