Clan Mackenzie was a 7,039 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1942 for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) as Empire Cato.

She was placed under the management of the Hain Steamship Co Ltd. She was allocated the United Kingdom Official Number 168949.

The Code Letters BFLC were allocated and her port of registry was West Hartlepool.

[2] Empire Cato was a member of a number of convoys during the Second World War.

[4] Convoy OS 84 had departed from Liverpool on 21 July and arrived at Freetown, Sierra Leone on 10 August.