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The Southern Railway, with its long-established association with the shipbuilding firm of William Denny and Bros Ltd., of Dumbarton, not surprisingly commissioned this company to build two new vessels for its Southhampton-Channel Islands route. The Isle of Guernsey was commissioned in 1930 and enjoyed great popularity in the islands. Of 2,143 gross tons; 862 net; her length was 296 ft. 5 in.; beam 42 ft. 1 in.; depth 14 ft. 2 in.; and she could carry 800 first-class and 600 second-class passengers. Her speed was 19'/2 knots and she was driven by four steam turbines, single reduction geared to two screw shafts. She was notable as one of the first ships to be fitted with echo-sounding apparatus.
The Isle of Guernsey travelled regularly across the Channel until the outbreak of war in September 1939, when she was converted into a hospital ship. Serving at the evacuation of Dunkirk, she was attacked by German aircraft and damaged by shrapnel, shells and bullets but successfully avoided the bombs which were aimed at her.
Later in the war she was engaged in Scottish waters and elsewhere. In 1944, the Isle of Guernsey was fitted up as a landing ship, infantry, and used in the D-day operations. She carried Canadians to France on D-day and immediately afterwards returned to England to transport troops for service in France.
In January 1945, the first civilian cross-Channel service was restored from Newhaven to Dieppe, this being the only port available in France, and the Isle of Guernsey was employed on that route for a short time. On June 25, 1945, she became the first steamer to resume the service between Southampton and the Channel Islands. She continued so to operate until May 12, 1961, when she was the last Southampton mail steamer to leave Guernsey. Retained as a Channel Islands relief vessel for a short period, the Isle of Guernsey was sold to the Belgian ship-breakers Van Heyghen Freres, in November 1961. SG81