SS Taroona was built in Linthouse, Glasgow by Alexander Stephen & Sons for Tasmanian Steamers, Australia.

She was handed back to Tasmanian Steamers and joined SS Nairana which had maintained a very busy schedule during Taroona’s absence including transporting troops from Tasmania to Melbourne.

Taroona was sold to Typaldos Lines, renamed Hellas and immediately taken over by her new crew and departed Australia for Greece.

On a notable journey on 7 February 1964, former Greek Prime Minister Sofoklis Venizelos died on board the ship of a pulmonary edema, en route from Chania to Piraeus, at age 69.

[2][3] In 1966 she was laid up in Perama bay for the winter but never worked again after the SS Heraklion sank in big seas and the Typaldos Lines was found guilty.