The Hauraki was built for the Union Steam Ship Company in 1922 by William Denny & Brothers Limited, Dumbarton. She was the 41st ship built by Denny's for the Union Company and was employed mainly on North American service as a cargo steamer. Hauraki was the first diesel fuelled motorship for the company with fully electric deck and auxiliary equipment. Her propulsion was a twin-screw motor. In July 1942 she was captured by the Japanese and converted to a naval transport and renamed Hoki Maru. In February 1944 she was bombed and sunk by US carrier planes at Truk in the Caroline Islands.