While merchant ships have an important place in many Rising Sun scenarios, we do not always provide the ship's size class. Unlike warships, this is not easily determined by the ship's type. There are large and small tankers, and the only way to figure out the size class is to use the ship's tonnage. This is very different from the "standard tonnage" used for warships. Merchants are usually described in terms of Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) and Deadweight Tonnage (DWT). GRT is the total enclosed volume of the ship with one ton equivalent to 100 cubic feet. DWT is the actual weight of cargo, fuel, people etc. a ship is permitted to carry. Both of these "tons" are long tons which is 2,240 lbs. The best value which describes the size of the ship for damage points and size class purposes is the GRT. This should be used whenever you calculate the damage points or size of a merchant. There is no reliable way to convert DWT to GRT. To find the size class of a merchant ship, compare the GRT to the following table. Size Class : GRT Range A : 15,000+ tons B : 5,000-15,000 tons C : 1,000-4,999 tons D : 100-999 tons E : under 100 tons BT Back to The Naval Sitrep #5 Table of Contents Back to Naval Sitrep List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1995 by Larry Bond and Clash of Arms. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history and related articles are available at http://www.magweb.com