In February 1937 the steamer "FELLDENE" was launched at the British shipyard William Gray & Co. Ltd. of West Hartlepool for the Dene Shipping Management Co. of London, which later on took upon her management. Already in March 1937 the ship was delivered to the Owner Company Felldene Shipping Co. Ltd. of London (yard number 1074). The 7600 DWT ship was equipped with a triple expansion engine (289 NHP) and reached a service speed of 9 knots. She was provided, as loading equipment, with 12 derricks of 4 tonne capacity each.

On 28 February 1939 the Swiss Eric Demaurex and Georges Pasche bought this General Cargo ship in Buenos Aires for their Panamanian company Demaurex & Pasche S.A. of Panama and named the ship "ST. CERGUE". The cereal trading company André & Cie of Lausanne took upon her management. With the change to the Panamanian flag the ship became the call sign HPKH.

On 3 May 1940, i.e. shortly before the German invasion of the Benelux States and France, the steamer arrived at Rotterdam. On 15 May 1940 the German occupation forces imposed on all ships in Dutch waters a prohibition to leave their ports. The ship was to be sold afterwards to the German Management Company Hendrik Fisser & van Doornum in Emden. However the sale failed because of the price being too high and because of the shortage of foreign currency on the German side.

On 28 January 1941 the ship was sold with the permission of the German authorities to Suisse-Atlantique, Société de Navigation Maritime S.A. of Lausanne, but still registered under Panama flag. Afterwards, in spring 1941, she could sail towards New York via the Emperor William’s channel. There were many stowaways on board, among them the «Soldaat van Oranje», Erik Haslehoff Roelfsema. Near the Faeroe Islands an English cruiser stopped the ship and escorted her till Thørshavn, suspecting her to be a German cargo-ship. The stowaway passengers were brought on land. At this occasion half of the crew deserted. But the ship could later carry on her voyage.

On 10 July 1941, this still modern ship was listed as number 5 into the Swiss ship register. She received the call sign HBDH. On 1 August 1941, the Swiss national day, the Swiss flag was raised in New York for the first time. The famous Swiss master Fritz Gerber from Langnau i/E commanded S/S "ST. CERGUE who was firstly used between the USA and Genoa. She brought cereals from America to Switzerland and machines and Swiss quality products back to the United States.

The S/S "ST. CERGUE" was what the sailors call a lucky ship. During a crossing towards New York, on 15 April 1942, she saved ten survivors of the Norwegian motor tanker "KOLL" (10’044/30), who had been torpedoed by a German submarine on 6 April 1942. The survivors were brought to the hospital in New York on 17 April 1942.

On 27 June 1942, the "ST. CERGUE" saved 209 shipwrecked people from the Dutch cargo-liner "JAGERSFONTEIN" (10'083/34), who was sent to the bottom by a German submarine because of the presence of 100 US officers on board. Later on the US-soldiers were taken over by a US warship on sea, whereas the other shipwrecked people, among them women and children who ran away from Indonesia with the "JAGERSFONTEIN" because of the Japanese, were disembarked in Gibraltar on 9 July 1942.

On 25 March 1943, during her voyage from Buenos Aires to Genoa, the "ST. CERGUE" took on board, in front of the Brazilian coast, 22 shipwrecked crewmembers of the Swedish cargo ship "INDUSTRIA" (1688/40) and set them ashore after an intermediate stop at Bahia.

On 30 September 1943, in the North of the Cape Verde Islands, the "ST. CERGUE" took on board the survivors of the Portuguese steamer "MELLO" (4020/15) who was distressed because of a fire. In Chile she had loaded 5000 tonnes of sodium nitrate in order to transport to Portugal via Cape Horn. The fire could be extinguished and the "ST. CERGUE" towed the damaged ship to Pernambuco (Recife), where the ship and the freight were offered as a reward to the Management Company, the master and his crew. The S/S "MELLO" was repaired and remained in service till the sixties.

The "ST. CERGUE" towed later on another ship navigating for Switzerland, the Greek steamer "NEREUS" heading to Las Palmas, after she had lost her propeller in the Atlantic.