Resumen de Coal and the Advent of the First World War at Sea
The changeover from coal to oil propulsion in the world�s navies in the period of the First World War has been treated by many historians largely as a straightforward efficiency exercise in adopting new technology. This article assesses the issues of coal through analysis of the problems related to ship operations which were encountered with manpower, ship design, and coal supply. It argues that the demise of coal became likely through the introduction of turbine propulsion, which gave warships for the first time real potential to achieve and maintain high speeds. It then became unavoidable when the limitations inherent in coal firing became obvious in the context of global, long-range operations and a threat environment that included the submarine and which required surface ships to maintain much higher speeds at sea for vastly more extended periods than they had prior to 1914.
