S.S. Constitution and S.S. Independence were the sister ships. Both were ocean liners built in 1951 by Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts, USA for American Export Lines. In 1959, both ships were rebuilt as the cruise ships and sailed from New York to Gibraltar, Naples and Genoa for American Export Lines. The New York-Italy voyages were increasingly advertised as 21 day cruises during the 1960's. Jet airline, union problems and competition from newer Italia Line ships made the services uneconomic.

S.S. Constitution and S.S. Independence were laid up until 1974 when they were sold to the C.Y. Tung group and renamed S.S. Oceanic Constitution and S.S. Oceanic Independent. American Hawaii Cruises were formed in 1980 by C.Y. Tung, who wished to enter the American cruise scene. The Oceanic Independent was first started her 7-day cruise around Hawaii Islands on June 7, 1980. An American subsidiary had been created, allowing the ship to be US-flagged. The service was a success. S.S. Oceanic Constitution joined the service in 1982, following a substantial refurbishment. During the winter of 1983, the Oceanic Independent also received internal refurbishment. In 1987, C.Y. Tung sold American Hawaii Cruises to Peter C.R. Huang for $20 million because of the OOHL financial restructure.

Both ships were 683 feet (208 m) in length and 23,719 gross register tons. They were capable of cruising at 26 knots. They accommodated 1,000 passengers, and were designed to accommodate 5,000 soldiers during wartime.