Amateurs study Tactics, Professionals study Logistics.

OILERS were critical in all theatres during the war . The case that comes most often is during the siege of Malta the heroic delivery of the OHIO that happened because of the two destroyers that ran cables under the tanker to ensure she didn't sink after being torpedoed.

Great interview, my grandfather served in the Pacific on an oiler

It's a shame I missed this live, but I am really glad I caught up with it.   Sal's enthusiasm for the subject is infectious and his knowledge and presentational skills are superb.

One testimony to the professionalism of Tanker crews is the Medal of Honor received by Chief Water Tender Oscar Peterson of the Neosho.
In an effort to save his vessel, Chief Peterson managed to shut a bulkhead stop valve - securing the steam to a ruptured line -
despite the fact that he was scalded to death in the effort.

This was outstanding.

The old saw "Amateurs talk about strategy and tactics where professionals talk about logistics" is more true about the Pacific than any other part of WWII because literally everything (including fresh water) had to be shipped into the theater of operations.

You are a Font of Knowledge  Sal  .   Thank You for this Video  WW2TV .

Towards the end of the war, the logistics train was so good, 7 or 8 carrier groups could be supported at sea indefinitely.

My dad retied from the Navy on 12-7-1949 with 20 active duty.  He started out as a fireman (stoking coal into the boiler) on the Ogola. Then moved to Tin Cans until after the war as Machinist Mate (later a Chief MM) after the war he was on aircraft carriers. He had 18 and a half years of sea duty until he got his first shore assignment. He always said that the only reason that WW-2 took so long was we needed a better supply system.  How many beans and potatoes do 7 million men eat a day? Half of that had to be shipped halfway around the world. All with NO COMPUTERS and unreliable communications.  A number 2 lead pencil and a clipboard with a sheet of paper. I have always wondered how many ships were required to just transport the bombs (fuel) (food) to Saipan, Guam and Tainan?

Excellent presentation by Sal, a seldom but immensely critical part of prosecuting a war across the vast Pacific.

Fascinating! Impressive detai. Excellent presentation.

My Dad sailed T2 Tankers in the Atlantic.

Thank you for this video discussion.  I had to relearn the difference between a tanker and an oiler.  I was a Marine avionics tech on the USS Tripoli/LPH-10 for a WESPAC cruise from November 1977 to August 1978.  There were several underway replenishments that even included a C-130 parachuting a container into the ocean for pick-up.  This introduction sparked my interest and I studied the oiler/tanker part of the Pacific Theater in World War Two.  My study wasn't as deep as Sal's but I gained an appreciation for the massive effort required to keep the fleet moving.  In contrast, Imperial Japan's oiler and tanker fleet was almost swept from the seas from 1943 by submarine and aircraft attacks.  This severely hampered Japanese flight operations (I didn't know Midway's 1942 fuel issue until this video) and crippled fleet operations.  Japanese battleships were too thirsty for operations in 1944, almost ceding the ocean to the US Navy.

A master class on the importance of logistics in the Pacific theater.  US fast oilers and at sea refueling was vital to Allied victory in the Pacific.

Sal, if the mood and interest ever occurs to do this same breakdown for ancillary ships such as destroyer tenders.  After I married I learned that not only had I gone to HS with my wife (now 45 years) but we discovered that our fathers served on the same ship during WWII, the USS Markab AD-21.  The Markab served through Korea & Vietnam being finally struck in 1976.  Though serving together and both had passed by the time we married in (78) I feel they most likely did not know each other due to different jobs and an 8 year age difference.  So much happens to fleets when they gather to resupply and refurbish between actions, such as at Ulithi and such, this also applies to Allies vessels who when attached to US Fleets or when sailing in their own fleets specifically in the Pacific.

INCREDIBLE presentation.  Sal is an unbelievable fountain of knowledge.  He answered a host of questions I've always had about the background of various battles in the Pacific.  Have him back!  I feel like he is the John McManus of the unknown naval heroes of supply in the Pacific war.  I am also a fan of his channel.

Excellent topic

I never thought I'd be so enthralled with oiler ships! Outstanding presentation!

Thanks, this is great information that is under-reported until now!