It looked like a pretty ordinary day on the water at the United States naval base in Norfolk, Virginia: a few short bursts of speed, a nice tail wind, some test manoeuvres.
But the 14m-long gunboat had algae-based fuel in the tank in a test hailed by the navy as a milestone in its creation of a new, energy-saving strike force.
The experimental boat operated on a 50-50 mix of algae-based fuel and diesel.
“It ran just fine,” said Rear Admiral Philip Cullom, who directs the navy’s sustainability division.
The tests were part of a broader drive within the navy to run 50% of its fleet on a mix of renewable fuels and nuclear power by 2020.
The navy plans to roll out its first group of about 10 ships, submarines and planes running on a mix of biofuels and nuclear power in 2012.
Fuels made from algae oil burn more cleanly than fossil fuel, but preventing climate change is not a major factor in the Pentagon’s calculations.
“Our programme is about combat capability, first and foremost,” Cullom said. “We no longer want to be held hostage by one form of energy.” —