This photograph, taken on a remarkably calm ocean, provides a close-up view of an oil tanker, with other ships in the background.

Some wartime merchant ships had specialized designs to enable them to carry cargoes more safely and efficiently. Most of an oil tanker's hull is taken up with tanks for transporting petroleum products, ranging from crude oil to highly refined aviation fuel. Allied forces required a constant supply of fuel and lubricants carried by tankers like this one in order to keep operating equipment at sea, on land, and in the air.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19930128-043