In 1915, U.S. Navy was converting its ships to oil-fired boilers. The Navy bought the Teapot Dome Oil Field. It was called "Naval Petroleum Reserve Number Three" as part of a program to ensure that the Navy would have sufficient fuel reserves in an emergency. It was one of several related fields in the area, the largest of which was the Salt Creek Oil Field. By comparison with the Salt Creek Field's peak production of of 1923, the Teapot Dome field had about 64 wells, with few producing more than 150 barrels per day (24 m/d).