In March 1889 a torpedo boat built by Doxford and Son of Sunderland, in which creosote was used as a fuel for generating steam was successfully tried at Portsmouth. The boat was under way at full power for about two hours, during which time the following data was obtained: steam pressure in the boiler, 158.6 pounds per square inch; engine speed 312 revolutions per minute and the mean indicated collective horsepower was 900. A mean speed of 19 knots was achieved during five runs over the measured mile at Stokes Bay. There were a number of advantages to using creosote as a fuel, namely; the lack of dust, little or no smoke, trimming could also be dispensed with and the potential energy weight for weight was fifty percent greater than coal.