Talk:Depot ship

WW II only?

This article needs to either be expanded to include more recent ships, or have its title changed to "Depot Ships of World War II." 71.233.90.196 (talk) 21:45, 10 June 2016 (UTC)

• I'm not sure the type has persisted past the colonial age when repair capability was limited to a few cities in nations possessing navies of large ships. As technology has become better distributed, and improved living conditions are more widely available, most services once provided by depot ships are now available from shore facilities. Descriptions would be welcome, however, if someone is aware of more modern ships of the type -- perhaps used to support the riverine forces of the Vietnam war or Persian Gulf patrol boats. Thewellman (talk) 16:31, 11 June 2016 (UTC)
• The article has a generic name, just need expansion for other periods. Regards DPdH (talk) 09:24, 2 April 2018 (UTC)

I don't disagree with the concept of expanding the time frame if use of the type truly extends over a broader time frame. The problem is sources. Auxiliary ships have never generated as much public interest as the warships which capture the headlines. And the second world war was the last time we had naval combat of sufficient duration to inspire a major warship construction program. While depot ships have been described in the compilations of second world war naval vessels, the participants of subsequent naval conflicts are not so comprehensively documented. For the changed infrastructure reasons described above, I suspect the depot ship concept is obsolete; but I have yet to find a source with sufficient interest in the type to make that assessment. Can someone suggest sources to either confirm or deny my conclusion? Thewellman (talk) 17:12, 2 April 2018 (UTC)