Booth's operated scheduled
cargo liner and
passenger services between Europe and Brazil. In the first decade of the 20th century these services included regular sailings between Liverpool and
Manaus, up the
Amazon River. A Booth passenger ship would leave Liverpool for Manaus on or about the 10th, 20th and 30th day of each month.
Lanfranc was the first Booth ship with twin
screws. Each screw was driven by a three-cylinder
triple-expansion engine. Between them the two engines were rated at 850
NHP and gave her a speed of . The
Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company of
Dundee built
Lanfranc for £122,000. She was
launched on 18 October 1906 and completed in February 1907.
Lanfranc was joined by two
sister ships.
R&W Hawthorn, Leslie and Company launched
Antony on 11 November 1906 and completed her in February 1907. Caledon Shipbuilding and Engineering launched on 31 March 1908 and completed her that August.
Lanfrancs
tonnages were and . She and her sisters were the largest ships in Booth's fleet until
Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company launched
Hildebrand in 1911. By 1911
Lanfranc had a
wireless telegraphy installation aboard, operated by the
Marconi Company. Her
call sign was MDS. ==First World War service and loss==