North Britain was a 7,189 GRT Cargo ship that was built in 1945 by Lithgows, Port Glasgow as Empire Cyprus for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT).

[1] She was operated under the management of Charlton, McAllum & Co Ltd.[3] Her port of registry was Greenock and the Code Letters GFWV were allocated.

[4] She departed from the Clyde on her maiden voyage on 23 June 1945, bound for New York, United States.

Over the next six months, she would visit Port Said, and Suez, Egypt; Colombo, Ceylon; Calcutta, India; and Rangoon and Kyaukpyu, Burma.

[6] In 1962, North Britain was sold to Kinabatangan Shipping Co Ltd, Hong Kong and renamed Jesselton Bay.