Special 1: HMS Warspite
History of the Second World War
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The History of the Royal Navy's Switch to Oil
The British Isles did not have any significant source of domestic oil. The government would buy a controlling interest in the Anglo-Persian oil company to ensure supply. Oil could produce drastically more steam than that volume of coal. Due to this greater efficiency, it would also give the ships much greater range and speed. It was in fact oil that would allow the war spite to reach 25 knots.
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