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Text=Displacement: 9,000-12,500 GRT|Length: 150-180 m|Beam: 19-23 m|Draft: 6-7.7 m|Mast: 22.5 m|Speed: 11-19 knots|Main Armament:Varies||Summary: Heavy Tankers ranged from 9,000-12,500 tons (GRT). Modern vessels of the era were diesel-drive motorships or turbine steamers with oil-fired boilers. By the 1930's virtually all new tankers were motorships. Having oil fuel enabled them to refuel in the oil-exporting nations where they loaded their cargo. These ships traded between ports that handled large volumes of petroleum products, both crude and refined. Although most tankers built before 1939 were non-standardized, the wartime-era T-2 and T-3 tankers were derivatives of prewar vessels. During the war, neutral vessels remained unarmed. Ships owned by belligerent nations received increasingly heavy armament as the war progressed. Tankers were high-value targets and received better protection than the average freighter.
