Why historical warship range figures need caution

How should apparently conflicting historical range and fuel figures be interpreted?

Compare the speed and load assumptions first. Operating figures and practical fuel capacity can differ markedly from a single published headline number.

Low-speed endurance figures differ from ranges at 18, 20, 25, 28, and 30 knots; omitting the speed condition can mislead. Speed changes endurance sharply enough that figures quoted under different assumptions can appear contradictory while describing different operating states. Wartime loaded displacement and fuel quantities, including aviation fuel on carriers, also grew sharply. Spaces normally treated as ballast capacity may sometimes have contributed to practical fuel carriage. A single published range figure therefore cannot describe the whole operational picture.