Ship engines can tolerate fuel qualities that aircraft engines cannot, and diesel can be made from synthetic or agricultural sources. Standardizing ships and even aircraft on one fuel could simplify logistics, but would not guarantee the best performance for every platform. Assigning more ships to diesel also raises the scale of production required and makes diesel plants a more valuable British bombing target. The argument is therefore about reallocating vulnerability, not making it disappear.
Notable Point · 4:29-9:48
Why diesel does not solve the fuel problem by itself
Diesel could draw on domestic and synthetic sources, but a fleet-wide switch would also concentrate demand on a new strategic target.