[1]: 21 Under the command of her first Captain, John Borg, she ran the route to Düsseldorf which required the ship to have a telescopic smoke stack and folding masts.

[1]: 21 On 16 September 1939 Vega, en route from Finland to Hull was captured, along with SS Suomen Poika by German submarine U-41 on her first patrol, at position 58N 04E.

[3] Vega was chartered by the International Committee of the Red Cross in late 1939 for "relief activities", to be based at Lisbon, Portugal, where it would work with the Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa.

[4] Voyages 39 to 44, between December 1944 and June 1945, were made from Lisbon to the Channel Islands[1] where the ship was met by the "Joint War Organisation" (the British Red Cross who had joined with St.

Escorted by a minesweeper, M 4613 and with her radio transmitter disabled, she docked at Saint Peter Port Harbour at 17:50pm watched by a crowd of locals.

The parcels, donated by Canada and New Zealand, being transported on hand pushed rail trolleys to a storage depot in St George's Hall.

[1]: 66 On voyage 43, the ship was docked alongside the Albert Pier in St Helier, Jersey[8]: 32  when the Island was liberated from the occupying forces on 9 May.

Presentations and gifts were made by the authorities in Jersey to Captain Wideberg and the crew, thanking them for bringing relief to the Islands.

[1] In 1946 modifications were carried out by Middle Docks & Engineering Co Ltd in England to improve crew accommodation, which resulted in a raised bridge and more portholes.