She had originally been built as the Empire Wisdom at Greenock Dockyard and managed by Clan Line from 1942 to 1944. Originally the ship was powered by the ultimate in  steam reciprocating  machinery, with exhaust turbines and three double-ended Scotch boilers. These were coal fired on the outward passage and oil fired on the passage home. Renamed the Royal Star when in Blue Star ownership she was converted to diesel power with the fitment of M.A.N. 2-stroke engines in 1962. Retaining one, now oil fired Scotch boiler, and much of the steam auxiliary machinery, including the Sunderland Forge steam steering gear and the refrigeration compressors. The latter being CO2, were driven by single cylinder horizontal engines of quite massive proportions, which were extremely tricky to start. Accommodation on her was basic to say the least, with wooden decked alleyways, deep door sills and teak doors. Of two-castle design, the navigation officers inhabited the bridge-castle, while the engineers were consigned to the port alleyway of the amidships accommodation. Massively built, she still had strengthened decks fore and aft for gun pads.
As a final quirk she still retained a coal fired galley stove, whose black chimney can be seen aft of the bridge!