The most useful modern ship in World War II might be an oiler

Which modern naval vessel would be most useful if sent back to World War II?

The panel favors a fleet tanker or supply ship, with crane ships and older container ships as alternatives, because maintainable logistics capacity could remain useful after sophisticated combat systems became difficult to support.

Fleet tankers are the initial choice because they would resupply an entire wartime force. Phalanx could also be useful, but only while its modern components could be kept working. The discussion identifies microelectronics and sophisticated machinery as maintenance problems, favoring older or simpler auxiliary systems where historical repair methods could still be used. Container ships from the 1970s and 1980s are suggested because their systems would be less dependent on later electronics and GPS. Cornhusker State is a specific crane-ship example that could act as a mobile port for cargo handling. A Lewis and Clark-class supply ship is another candidate, described here as carrying about 6,000 tons of dry cargo and 2,400 tons of cargo fuel at 20 knots. These examples make sustained delivery of fuel and stores the main advantage sought in the time-travel scenario.