SS Polar Chief Polar Chief was an 8 , 040 GRT tanker which was built in 1897 as the cargo ship Montcalm . In 1914 she was requisitioned by the Admiralty , serving initially as a troopship . In October 1914 , she was converted to a dummy battleship and renamed HMS " Audacious . In 1915 she became a depot ship , followed by conversion to a tanker in 1916 when she was sold into Royal Fleet Auxiliary service and renamed RFA " Crenella . In 1917 , she survived a torpedo attack off the coast of Ireland . In 1919 , she was sold into merchant service as SS " Crenella " . In 1923 , she was sold to Norway and renamed Rey Alfonso . In 1927 , she was sold back to British owners and renamed Anglo - Norse . In 1929 , she was rebuilt as a whaler and renamed " Polar Chief " . Although laid up in Tønsberg in September 1939 , she escaped to the United Kingdom before Germany invaded Norway . " Polar Chief " was requisitioned and passed to the Ministry of War Transport , being renamed Empire Chief . In January 1942 , she ran aground off Reykjavík , Iceland . She was refloated and temporary repairs made to enable her to be returned to the United Kingdom for permanent repairs . In 1946 , she was returned to her owners and renamed " Polar Chief " . She served until 1952 when she was scrapped at a Clyde shipbreakers . Description . The ship was built by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Co Ltd , Jarrow on Tyne as yard number 724 . She was launched on 17 May 1897 , and completed in August 1897 . The ship was long , with a beam of and a depth of . She was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine which had cylinders of , and diameter by stroke . Three double ended boilers supplied steam at . The engine developed and could propel the ship at . History . Montcalm . " Montcalm " was built for the African Steamship Company and placed under the management of Elder Dempster Lines . On 3 September 1897 , she made her maiden voyage from Avonmouth , Gloucestershire to Montreal , Canada . On 13 November 1898 , she was chartered to the Atlantic Transport Line . In 1899 , a rebuild left her at 6 , 981 GRT . " Montcalm " made eleven trans - atlantic voyages between 1898 and 1900 . On 5 April 1900 , she sailed from Liverpool for Cape Town as a transport ship in support of the Second Boer War . " Montcalm " then made six return voyages from Cape Town to New Orleans , carrying horses or mules . In June 1902 , she was placed in service on the Avonmouth - Montreal route . In 1903 , she passed to Elder Dempster Lines when that company absorbed the African Steamship Company . In August 1914 , " Montcalm " was requisitioned by the Admiralty . She was initially used as a troopship carrying members of the British Expeditionary Force . In October 1914 , she was converted to a dummy battleship , mimicking , whose name she carried . It was intended that she be used as a blockship in 1915 , but she was used as a depot ship . On 9 January 1916 , she was transferred to the control of the British Shipping Controller and placed under the management of Frederick Leyland Ltd , Liverpool . The United Kingdom Official Number 106869 was allocated . Between August and October 1916 she was converted to a tanker and placed under the management of Lane and MacAndrews . RFA Crenella . On 18 November 1916 she entered service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary as RFA " Crenella " , under the management of the Anglo Saxon Petroleum Company . On 26 November 1917 , " Crenella " was on a voyage from Queenstown to Montreal when she was torpedo ed by " U - 101 " when west of Queenstown , at . Crenella was in ballast for this voyage . Although damaged in the attack , " Crenella " managed to reach port . The United States Navy ' s assisted in damaged control and escorted " Crenella " back to Queenstown . In 1919 , " Crenella " was sold to the Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd . On 19 October 1920 , she was sold to the Velefa Shipping Co Ltd , London , and placed under the management of Runciman & Co Ltd although she was then laid up . Rey Alfonso . In 1923 , " Crenella " was sold to Christian Nielson & Co , Larvik , Norway and renamed " Rey Alfonso " . She was used as a whale oil depot ship . Anglo - Norse . In 1925 , she was sold to H M Wrangell & Co , Haugesund and in 1927 she was sold to the Anglo - Norse Company , Tønsberg . " Rey Alfonso " was renamed " Anglo - Norse " . She was placed under the management of Hans Borge . Polar Chief ( 1925 ) . Later in 1925 , she was sold to the Falkland Whaling Company and renamed " Polar Chief " . At this time she was 7 , 166 GRT , 5 , 512 NRT . Her port of registry was Jersey . " Polar Chier " was rebuilt as a pelagic whaler in Gothenburg , Sweden . She was placed under the management of the South Georgia Company . " Polar Chief " was laid up during the 1930 whaling season . She was then returned to service . By 1934 , the Code Letters QFMT had been allocated . These were changed to GFMT in 1937 . In 1939 , her she was recorded as 8 , 040 GRT and 6 , 279 NRT . " Polar Chief " was laid up at Tønsburg in September 1939 , but managed to escape to the United Kingdom before the German invasion of Norway in April 1940 . In April 1941 , " Polar Chief " was requisioned by the MoWT . She was placed under the management of Christian Salvesen & Co Ltd , Leith . " Polar Chief " was a member of Convoy HX 156 , which departed Halifax , Nova Scotia on 22 October 1941 and arrived at Liverpool on 5 November . Empire Chief . " Polar Chief " was renamed " Empire Chief " in November 1941 . On 16 January 1942 , " Empire Chief " ran aground at Reykjavík , Iceland . She was refloated on 7 March and temporary repairs were made before she was towed back to the United Kingdom in May 1942 . " Empire Chief " was a member of Convoy HX 251 , which departed New York on 7 August 1943 . She was carrying fuel oil and armoured fighting vehicles . She was also a member of Convoy HX 266 , which departed New York on 13 November 1943 . " Empire Chief " was carrying fuel oil and depth charge s . Polar Chief ( 1946 ) . In 1946 , " Empire Chief " was returned to the Falkland Whaling Co Ltd and regained her former name " Polar Chief " . She served until 1952 , arriving on 29 April at Dalmuir , West Dunbartonshire for scrapping by W H Arnott Young Ltd . In July 1952 , her hulk was towed to Troon , where final demolition was completed by West of Scotland Shipbreaking Co Ltd .