The U.S. Navy may someday turn its back on fossil fuels entirely, thanks to an effort to turn seawater into fuel for ships at sea, according to a story in International Business Times .

Guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (right), with a French anti-submarine frigate during exercises earlier this year.

Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory developed a way to extract carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas from seawater "by a gas-to-liquids process with the help of catalytic converters," according to the report.

The world's largest navy would like to free itself from the price and inventory fluctuations associated with oil-based fuels. The Navy operates almost 300 vessels, but all but 72 submarines and a handful of aircraft carriers are powered by fuel derived from oil.

Click here for the full story in International Business Times.