The two "cherry-picker" cranes on the foredeck were used only for loading ship's stores (there were two cranes because a single one wouldn't have been long enough to reach the dock on both sides). Part of the original LASH ship concept provided for receiving the ship's stores in special small, pre-loaded refrigerated containers. At the end of each voyage the empty stores containers were to be discharged through a hatch in the foredeck by means of the cherry-pickers. A similar container loaded with fresh stores would then be loaded through the hatch, secured in position inside the ship, and then hooked up to the ship's electrical power. The intention was that storing the ship would be a whole lot quicker and easier, increasing turn-around time. It was a pretty advanced concept in the early 1970s, and it still is.

One of five LASH ships operated by Prudential Lines between the U.S. East Coast and the Mediterranean. The others were LASH Pacifico, LASH Italia, LASH Espana and LASH Turkiye.

The large "LASH" crane (just forward of the funnels) could lift 480 tons. As LASH ships began to be be outclassed by container ships, Prudential installed a separate 35-ton container crane on these ships (visible just aft of the deck-house) and they began to carry more and more containers along with the LASH barges. The two small "cherry picker" cranes on the foredeck were for handling ship's stores.

Despite carrying more and more cargo containers, the company went out of business not long after this photo was taken.