Norvarg was a Design 1014 refrigerated cargo ship that was built in 1920 as Rotarian by Todd Drydock & Construction Corp, Tacoma, Washington, United States for the United States Shipping Board (USSB). She was sold to the Grace Steamship Co Inc, New York in 1923 and renamed Condor. In 1940, she was sold to the British Ministry of Shipping (MoS), which became the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) in 1941, and was renamed Empire Elk. In 1942, she was transferred to the Norwegian Government and renamed Norvarg.