Built in 1914 at Taikoo Dockyard for China coastal and river work, the S.S. Tungchow joined the China Navigation Company's fleet serving their coastal routes, for many years being on the Shanghai-Tientsin (Tianjin) run. It was at least twice the target of pirate attacks, once in December 1925 and again in February 1935, when 73 foreign children were taken hostage.
A photo of this ship also features in an advertisement within the book "Glimpses of China" by T. Tawata, published in Tokyo in 1920.
