After the launching of the SS Hamburg, the Hamburg-America Line ordered its next ship of the Albert Ballin class of liners.

The ship would be laid down by the Blohm & Voss shipyard as yard No 474 and was launched on 20 October 1926, as the SS New York.

[2] On 1 April 1927 the ship undertook her maiden voyage on the Hamburg to New York route.

On 31 January 1928 she was the first Albert Ballin-class ship to take a cruise from New York via Madeira to the Mediterranean Sea and on to Istanbul, before ending on April 1 in Hamburg.

On 18 and 19 December 1934 she assisted during the distress of the small Norwegian steamer Sisto at approx.