Wave Baron was a 8,159 GRT Wave-class oiler that was built in 1946 as Empire Flodden by Furness Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Haverton Hill-on-Tees, County Durham, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT).

[2] The ship was built in 1946 by Furness Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Haverton Hill-on-Tees, County Durham, United Kingdom.

She operated in the Middle East, calling at Abadan, Iran, Aden and Port Said, Egypt over the next 21 months.

Wave Baron was made a voyage to Trinidad in August 1948, following which she returned to the Middle East.

[5] On 16 July 1950, a crewman was severely scalded on board Wave Baron when a pipe burst when the ship was in the Irish Sea off the Isle of Man.

In January 1951, RMS Orion was unable to call at the Cocos Islands to collect mail.

They were escorting the cargo liner Gothic, which Queen Elizabeth II was travelling on as part of a tour of the Commonwealth.

[5] In November 1957, Wave Baron deployed to Christmas Island as part of Operation Grapple.

[7] In June 1962, Wave Baron took a number of detectives based at New Scotland Yard from Gibraltar to rendezvous with HMS Belfast.

They were investigating drug smuggling on the cruiser following the discovery of $3,000,000 (~£834,000[8]) of heroin on board after HMS Belfast had sailed from Honolulu, Hawaii, United States in May 1962.