[MUSEUM]
Text=Displacement: 5,000-8,800 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: Medium Tankers ranged from 5,000-8,800 tons (GRT). They carried bulk liquid cargoes in steel oil-tight tank sections. Cargo was taken on and discharged through a series of pipes visible on the main deck. 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. Tankers usually 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 shipbuilding programs turned out hundreds of near-identical T-2 and T-3 tankers. During the war, neutral tankers 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. In addition to traditional defensive weaponry, the wartime era saw increased use of other protective devices for tankers, such as anti-torpedo nets, torpedo detectors, and fire extinguishing systems.
