RFA Wave Chief ( A265 ) RFA " Wave Chief was a Wave - class fleet support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary that was built in 1946 as SS " Empire Edgehil by Harland & Wolff , Govan , Renfrewshire , United Kingdom . She saw service during the Korean War , earning a battle star . " Wave Chief " also served in the First Cod War and Second Cod War against Iceland . She was extensively modified in the early 1960s and escorted Sir Alec Rose around Cape Horn , South Africa , in April 1968 . She was decommissioned and laid up at Rosyth , Fife , in August 1974 , and arrived at Inverkeithing , Fife , for scrapping on 13 November 1974 . Description . The ship was built by Harland & Wolff , Govan , Renfrewshire . She was yard number 1306 . The ship was long , with a beam of . She had a draught of . She was assessed at 8 , 187 GRT . The ship was propelled by two steam turbines , double reduction geared , driving a single screw propeller . The turbines ware made by Metrovick , Manchester , Lancashire . They could propel her at . History . " Empire Edgehill " was launched on 4 April 1946 . On 27 July 1946 , she was transferred to the Admiralty and three days later she was completed as " Wave Chief " , allocated the United Kingdom Official Number 180935 and the pennant number X119 . " Wave Chief " was initially chartered out before she was taken over by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary . She was operating in the Mediterranean in 1947 , when one of her firemen was discharged dead at Suez , Egypt . In 1949 , she loaded a cargo at Abadan , Iran and delivered it to Sydney , Australia . On 25 June 1950 , " Wave Chief " joined the United States Seventh Fleet for naval operations . On 18 November 1951 , " Wave Chief " was refuelling off the coast of Korea when there was an accident which resulted in a large spill of fuel and damage to her rig . On 27 July 1953 , " Wave Chief " was awarded a battle honour for her service during the Korean War . During December 1956 and January 1957 , " Wave Chief " accompanied during the Duke of Edinburgh ' s tour of the southern oceans . From 1957 , she took part in Operation Grapple X , the British hydrogen bomb tests at Christmas Island . On 13 November 1957 , she ran aground at Batu Puteh , Singapore , holing all but four of her eighteen tanks . From November 1958 , " Wave Chief " was deployed supporing Royal Navy ships in operations off Iceland in the First Cod War . These deployments continued until February 1961 . In 1961 , " Wave Chief " came to the assistance of the " Haisboro Light Vessel " which was sinking off the Norfolk coast after being in collision with another ship . From September to December 1965 , " Wave Chief " accompanied , , and on a goodwill tour of South America . The squadron , under the command of Vice - Admiral Sir Fitzroy Talbot , visited ports in Argentina , Brazil , Chile , Dominican Republic , Ecuador , Peru and Venezuela . On 12 December 1967 , " wave Chief " was severely damaged in a storm in the Mediterranean . Repairs were carried out at Gibraltar . On 25 April 1968 , " Wave Chief " departed from Punta Arenas , Chile to rendezvous with the yacht " Lively Lady " , which was being sailed single - handedly around the world by Alec Rose . She escorted " Lively Lady " around Cape Horn , South Africa on 1 April . From 15 – 17 March 1973 , " Wave Chief " assisted Icelandic Coast Guard , Royal Air Force and Royal Navy units in the unsuccessful search for survivors from the trawler " Sjoestjaman " . From May to August 1973 , " Wave Chief " operated in support of Royal Navy units involved in the Second Cod War . She was decommissioned in August 1974 and laid up at Rosyth , Dunbartonshire . In September she was listed for disposal . " Wave Chief " was purchased for £208 , 825 to T W Ward Ltd . She arrived at Inverkeithing , Fife on 13 November 1974 for scrapping , which took place in 1975 .