In 1890 William Denny and Brothers of Dumbarton on the River Leven built a pair of sister ships for BI for £59,600 each.[1] Yard number 440 was launched on 4 August as Vadala and completed on 13 September.[2] Yard number 441 was launched on 15 September as Virawa and completed that October.[3]
Vadala's registered length was 340.0 ft (103.6 m), her beam was 43.1 ft (13.1 m) and her depth was 26.0 ft (7.9 m).[4] Her tonnages were 3,334 GRT, 2,164 NRT, and 4,993 DWT. Her holds had capacity for 200,030 cubic feet (5,664 m3) of cargo, and she had berths for 18 first class passengers.[5]
On 21 February 1895 Vadala left Calcutta carrying 767 Indian indentured labourers to Fiji. On her voyage a measles epidemic killed 14 of her passengers. On 26 March she reached Suva, where she was quarantined.[6]
All BI ships were designed to be converted into troop ships, by putting troop accommodation in the holds.[8] In the Second Boer War the UK Government chartered at least 37 BI ships for war service.[9] On 21 September 1899 Vadala left Bombay (now Mumbai) carrying a squadron of the 19th Royal Hussars. She reached Durban on 7 October.[10]
From July 1900 BI put Vadala on its route between Calcutta and Hong Kong.[5]
Kenkon Maru No. 12
In 1913 Inui Gomei Kasha bought Vadala for £12,000, and renamed her Kenkon Maru No. 12.[5] She was registered at Dairen in the Kwantung Leased Territory, and her code letters were QBJL.[11]
On 30 May 1928 Kenkon Maru No. 12 was involved in a collision with the Chinese steamship Hawchan in the Straits of Tsingtao (now Qingdao), about 140 nautical miles (260 km) east-southeast of Tsingtao.[2]
