Fast fleet oilers were traded against amphibious lift

Royal Navy preparations for a Far Eastern war required a fleet to sustain itself far from Britain's industrial base, so mobile-basing doctrine included a wide range of support infrastructure. The service had invested in some fast fleet oilers, contrary to a simple picture of total neglect. At the beginning of the Second World War, however, Winston Churchill's push for amphibious capability led to some of them being converted because Mediterranean and North Sea needs appeared to favor landing ships. The North Atlantic still needed fast oilers, making this an example of an acknowledged logistics requirement being displaced by another wartime priority.