colloq. [f. TANK sb.1 + -ER1.] A tank-steamer.
1899. G. W. Melville, in Jrnl. Amer. Soc. Naval Engineers, XI. Feb., 37. The ‘tanker’ must take the water at the nearest source of supply and trust to luck for its being fit for drinking purposes.
1905. Daily News, 20 March, 7. A tanker stood ready in the bay to take the English residents to a place of safety.
