The 1886-87 pause and a widening British production gap

The battleship pause lasted from 7 January 1886 to 30 May 1887 and affected later French projects. Repeated stops and changes weakened industry, making it harder to obtain guns and systems and creating further delays. Even cruiser procurement struggled with disputes over armament and direction, although cruisers belonged to the Jeune École's own force concept. Brennus required about seven years from laying down to service, while Royal Sovereign entered service in roughly three. During the French interval Britain completed the eight Royal Sovereigns and two Centurions, brought Renown close to commissioning, and launched five of the nine Majestics. A good ship available years earlier could provide experience for the next class while a paper-perfect design was still under construction. Standardised British squadrons could consequently overmatch individually impressive French ships whose different characteristics made concerted operation difficult.