A tender needed aviation fuel, but its usual operating site simplified replenishment. In a harbor, a supply ship could berth alongside and transfer fuel through a pumping unit. The tender's aircraft cranes could also lift heavy stores aboard. It therefore did not need to call on a fleet auxiliary for every delivery.
Notable Point · 22:55-23:32
Why tenders could use ordinary supply ships
A sheltered anchorage let ordinary merchant ships replenish a tender, whose own cranes handled heavy supplies.