The Great Ships – Tankers (History Channel)

THE TANKERS is a comprehensive history of these massive vessels. See how their development has paralleled the history of oil, from its discovery in America in 1859 to its evolution into the linchpin of the world economy. At each stage, the ships grew larger, until today's supertankers became the largest moving objects ever built, weighing over half a million tons and stretching as long as the Empire State Building is high. See how colorful personalities like Aristotle Onassis, Stavros Niarchos and Daniel K. Ludwig have changed the face of the shipping industry, and go aboard the mammoth vessels that made them rich. From the first oil steamers to some of the most controversial and important vessels to ever take to the high seas, this is a fascinating history of THE TANKERS.