Petroleum and Sea Power
Reluctant Navy admirals switched from coal to oil — adding to engine power and simplifying resupply.
Commissioned on March 12, 1914, the USS Texas was the last American battleship built with engines to be powered with coal-fired boilers. Converted to burn fuel oil in 1925, the “Mighty T” became even more dominant at sea as the worldwide maritime change from coal to oil became another chapter of U.S. petroleum history.
When the industrial revolution ended the “Age of Sail,” coal that fired the boilers of steam-powered ships became a strategic resource. Worldwide “coaling stations” were essential at a time when oil was little more than a lubricant or a resource for making lamp kerosene. (more…)
