Germaine was constructed in 1911 at the Charles Connell & Co. Ltd. shipyard in Scotstoun, United Kingdom. She was completed in 1911 and she was named Germaine and served from 1911 until her demise in 1939.
The ship was 125.1 metres (410 ft 5 in) long, with a beam of 15.9 metres (52 ft 2 in) and a depth of 8.5 metres (27 ft 11 in). The ship was assessed at 5,217 GRT. She had a Triple expansion steam engine driving a single screw propeller and the engine was rated at 536 nhp.