SS Empire Bairn Empire Bairn was a 813 ton coastal tanker which was built by Blythswood Shipbuilding Co Ltd , Glasgow in 1941 for the Ministry of War Transport ( MoWT ) . She spent the Second World War plying the Mediterranean Sea . Her uneventful wartime career is unusually well documented for a small cargo ship . After the war , she was sold to the Indian Navy in 1948 and commissioned as a harbour tanker HMIS " Chilka , becoming INS " Chilka when India became a republic in 1950 . She was decommissioned in 1976 and was scrapped in 1977 . Construction . " Empire Bairn " — " Bairn " means " child " — was built by Blythswood Shipbuilding Company Ltd , of Glasgow , as yard number 67 . She was launched on 23 October 1941 and completed in December 1941 . She was operated under the management of the Bulk Oil Steamship Co Ltd . War service . 1941 – 42 . After completion in December 1941 , SS " Empire Bairn " would have undertaken sea trials . She is first recorded at Oban , Argyllshire in late December 1941 . She took part in a number of convoys during the Second World War . " Empire Bairn " was a member of Convoy WN 225 which sailed from Oban on 30 December 1941 and arrived at Methil , Fife on 2 January 1942 . " Empire Bairn " was a member of Convoy EN 65 which sailed from Methil on 30 March 1942 and arrived at Oban on 1 April . " Empire Bairn " is next recorded as being a member of Convoy BB 172 which sailed from Belfast Lough on 9 May and arrived at Milford Haven , Pembrokeshire the next day . She joined at Holyhead , Anglesey on 9 May and arrived at Avonmouth , Gloucestershire on 11 May . Her movements for the next five weeks are unrecorded . " Empire Bairn " was a member of Convoy WN 299 which sailed from Loch Ewe on 21 June 1942 and arrived at Methil on 23 June . Her destination was Scapa Flow , Orkney Islands where she arrived on 22 June . " Empire Bairn " was a member of Convoy HM13 which sailed from Holyhead on 9 July 1942 and arrived at Milford Haven on 10 July . She then sailed to Swansea , West Glamorgan where she arrived later that day . " Empire Bairn " sailed from Swansea on 11 July to join Convoy WP 185 which sailed from Milford Haven that day and arrived at Portsmouth on 13 July . Her destination was Plymouth , Devon , she arrived on 12 July . Her movements until October 1942 are not recorded . In mid October she was sent to work in the Mediterranean Sea . " Empire Bairn " was a member of Convoy KX 2 which sailed from the Clyde on 18 October 1942 and arrived at Gibraltar on 29 October . Her movements until February 1943 are unrecorded . On 12 February , " Empire Bairn " was in Bône , Algeria . She was a member of Convoy ET 11X which sailed from Bône on that day and arrived at Oran , Algeria on 15 February . On 25 February she was again in Gibraltar . " Empire Bairn " was a member of Convoy TE 16 which sailed from Gibraltar on 26 February and arrived at Bône on 1 March . " Empire Bairn " then sailed to Philippeville , Algeria and back to Bône 2 March , arrived back at Philippeville on 4 March and then to Algiers , arriving on 6 March . " Empire Bairn " then joined Convoy KMS 10G which had sailed from the Clyde on 26 February and arrived at Bône on 11 March . 1943 . " Empire Bairn " was a member of Convoy ET 14 which sailed from Bône on 13 March and arrived at Gibraltar on 17 March . Her destination was Algiers , where she arrived on 15 March . On 19 March " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy TE 19 which had sailed from Gibraltar on 16 March and arrived at Bône on 20 March . " Empire Bairn " was a member of Convoy MKS 10 which sailed from Bône on 23 March and arrived at Liverpool on 5 April . She left the convoy at Algiers on 25 March . The following day " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy TE 19Y which had sailed from Gibraltar on 23 March and arrived at Bône on 27 March . " Empire Bairn " arrived at Philippeville and then back at Bône on 30 March , then was at Philippeville again on 31 March . She then sailed to Bougie , Algeria , arriving on 1 April . She sailed from Bougie on 2 April and arrived at Algiers on 3 April . On 7 April " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy TE 20A which had sailed from Gibraltar on 5 April and arrived at Bône on 8 April . She left the convoy at Bougie on 9 April and then sailed to Philippeville . On 10 April she left Philippeville and arrived at Bône on 11 April . She departed Bône on 15 April and arrived at Algiers on 17 April . On 21 April " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy UGS 7 which had sailed from Hampton Roads on 1 April 1943 and arrived at Bône on 22 April . On 27 April " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy ET 19 which arrived at Gibraltar on 2 May . She left the convoy at Algiers on 29 April . On 6 May " Empire Bairn " sailed for Philippeville , arriving the next day . On 10 May " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy ET20 which had sailed from Bône on 9 May and arrived at Gibraltar on 14 May . She left the convoy at Algiers on 11 May . On 17 May she was at Bougie , arriving at Algiers later that day . Her next recorded movement was arriving at Algiers on 19 June and sailing from Bougie later that day . On 24 June " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy GTX 3 at Algiers The convoy had sailed from Gibraltar on 21 June 1943 and arrived at Port Said on [ 4 July . She left the convoy at Malta on 28 June . " Empire Bairn " was a member of Convoy MKS 16A which sailed from Tripoli , Libya on 29 June and arrived at Gibraltar on 6 July . She left the convoy at Bizerta , Algeria on 1 July . From July to October , her movements are unrecorded except that she was in port at Bizerta from 20 – 23 July , 3 August to 3 September and 24 September to 7 October . On 7 October , " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy KMS 28 which had sailed from Gibraltar on 7 October and arrived at Port Said on 19 October . Her destination is unrecorded but she arrived back at Bizerta on 12 October . " Empire Bairn " was a member of Convoy NV 7 which sailed from Naples , Italy on 3 November 1943 and arrived at Augusta , Italy on 5 November . " Empire Bairn " was a member of Convoy AH 8 which sailed Augusta from on 8 November and arrived at Bari , on 10 November . She left the convoy at Taranto , Italy on 9 November . On 14 December " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy HA 12 which had sailed from Bari on that day and arrived at Augusta on 16 December . Later that day , she joined convoy MKS 34 which had sailed from Port Said on 11 December and arrived at Gibraltar on 24 December . She left the convoy at Algiers on 20 December . On 24 December " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy KMS 35 which had sailed from Gibraltar on 22 December and arrived at Port Said on 1 January 1944 . " Empire Bairn " joined the convoy at Algiers and left at Augusta . She left the convoy on 28 December at Augusta . On 31 December " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy GUS 26 which had sailed from Port Said , Egypt on 26 December and arrived at Hampton Roads , Virginia on 24 January 1944 . She put into Malta after becoming a straggler , arriving on 1 January 1944 . On 5 January " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy MKS 36 which had sailed from Port Said on 31 December 1943 and arrived at Gibraltar on 12 January 1944 . She left at Bizerta on 8 January . Her next recorded movements are sailing from Bizerta on 17 January and arriving back on 21 January . She then sailed from Bizerta on 22 January and arrived at Naples on 24 January . " Empire Bairn " was a member of Convoy NV 22 which sailed from Naples on 22 February and arrived at Augusta on 23 February . On 23 February " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy MKS 41 which had sailed from Port Said on 19 February and arrived at Gibraltar on 2 March . She left at Bizerta on 27 February . Her next recorded movement was sailing from Augusta on 20 March and arriving back there on 23 March . On 25 March , " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy MKS 44 which had sailed from Port Said on 20 March 1944 and arrived at Gibraltar on 1 April . She left at Bizerta on 28 March . She sailed from Bizerta on 31 March and arrived at Bône on 1 April . On 7 April , " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy MKS 45 which had sailed from Port Said on 30 March 1944 and rendezvoused with Convoy SL 154 on 11 April . She left at Algiers on 8 April . On 11 April , " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy UGS 37 which had sailed from Hampton Roads on 24 March and arrived at Port Said on 19 April . She left at Bône on 13 April . On 17 April " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy MKS 46 which had sailed from Port Said on 9 April and arrived at Gibraltar on 21 April . She left at Algiers on 19 April . " Empire Bairn " sailed from Algiers on 22 April and arrived at Bône on 23 April . On 28 April " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy KMS 48 which had sailed from Gibraltar on 25 April and arrived at Port Said on 1 May . She left the convoy at Augusta on 1 May . On 4 May " Empire Bairn " joined Convoy MKS 48 which had sailed from Port Said on 29 April and arrived at Gibraltar on 10 May . She left at Bizerta on 6 May . Her movements are unrecorded until she left Bizerta on 24 September and was escorted to La Maddalena , Sardinia , where she arrived on 26 September . No further movements are recorded until May 1945 . In 1945 , " Empire Bairn " was sent to India . She is recorded as sailing from Naples on 7 May , arriving at Piraeus , Greece on 11 May . Sailing on 18 May and arriving at Port Said on 21 May . She sailed from Suez , Egypt on 27 June and arrived at Aden , Aden Settlement on 3 July . She sailed from Aden on 5 July and arrived at Bombay , India on 13 July . After almost a month in port , she sailed from Bombay on 11 August , and arrived at Colombo , Ceylon on 15 August . She sailed later that day for Trincomalee , Ceylon arriving on 17 August . She sailed from Trincomalee on 18 August , arriving at Madras , India on 20 August . Postwar . In 1948 , " Empire Bairn " was sold to the Indian Navy and renamed HMIS " Chilka " , becoming INS " Chilka " when India gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1950 . She was used as a harbour tanker . " Chilka " was removed from the list of Indian Navy ships in 1976 and scrapped in 1977 . Official number and code letters . Official Numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers . " Empire Bairn " had the UK Official Number 168968 and used the Code Letters BCXD .