A US Shipping Board study identified major routes on which American vessels should compete with established British shipping. Coal-fired vessels depended on a network of fuel stations, supported by merchant ships carrying coal to those stations. Oil could be carried in double bottoms in sufficient quantities for round trips of roughly 10,000 to 12,000 miles. That endurance allowed American ships to challenge British operators without first reproducing the same overseas coaling system.
Notable Point · 38:23-39:47
Oil endurance challenged Britain's coaling network
Oil-fired merchant ships could carry fuel for long round trips, reducing their dependence on Britain's overseas coaling stations.