St Helena was constructed in 1963 by Burrard Dry Dock in North Vancouver, Canada as the Northland Prince, and operated under that name on service between Vancouver and Alaska.[1] She was purchased by St. Helena Shipping, which had been formed as a joint venture between the Saint Helena government and British shipping firm Curnow Shipping to operate ocean service to the island after the Union-Castle Line ceased operations in 1977.[1] She underwent a refit and was renamed to St Helena, and entered service in September 1978 on a route from Avonmouth, England to Cape Town, South Africa, calling en route at Las Palmas, Canary Islands, and Jamestown, Saint Helena.[1] She continued in this service, interrupted by sailing for the British government during the Falklands War, until 1990 when she was replaced by a new ship, also named St Helena.[1] She was sold and laid up for several years, as planned service in the Indian Ocean never materialized, before being scrapped.[1]
St Helena measured 3,150 gross tons, and was 321 feet (98 m) long, with a beam of 46 feet (14 m).[1] She was propelled by a single diesel engine and propeller, which gave her a service speed of 16.5 knots (19.0 mph).[1] She had a passenger capacity of 88 in a single class configuration.[1]
With thanks to Wikipedia!