HMS Royal Scotsman was a British passenger ship from the interwar period and World War II. The launch took place in March 1936, and the entry into service in May of the same year. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 100 meters and a width of 15 meters. The displacement reached approx. 3,250 tons, and the maximum speed reached approx. 15-16 knots. At the time of launching, the unit had no on-board armament.
HMS Royal Scotsman , which is actually a twin unit HMS Royal Ulsterman was built at Harland and Wolf shipyard in Belfast for the shipping line Burns and Laird Lines Limited. From the moment of entering service, the vessel handled passenger and cargo traffic on the Glasgow-Belfast route, sailing on the Irish Sea. In October 1940, the ship stayed requisitioned by the Royal Navy and modernized. After several months of shipbuilding, HMS Royal Scotsman became a typical LSI (ang. Landing ship, Infantry) armed with, among others, 4 20 mm AA cannons. In 1941, the unit took part in the transport of supplies to Gibraltar (convoy WS11X). In November 1942, it was used in the course of Operation Torch, i.e. in the Allied landings in Algeria and Morocco. One year later HMS Royal Scotsman continued to operate in the Mediterranean, supporting naval and amphibious operations in southern Italy, including the Salerno landing. Interestingly, the unit returned to Great Britain at the end of 1943 and did not participate in further operations. In February 1945, she returned to the civil service.