Astley Cooper Key and the emerging torpedo threat

Astley Cooper Key brought combat experience from the Crimean War, the Second Opium War, and the Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata. He later commanded the North America and West Indies Station and led the Royal Naval College at Greenwich, giving him experience with overseas operations and officer education. His reputation combined close attention to rules and budgets with a willingness to consider new technology. His financial discipline extended to orders for the Admiral-class battleships. He also helped prepare the navy during the 1885 Panjdeh crisis, when Britain and Russia appeared close to war over Afghanistan. Key anticipated that the torpedo would affect the Royal Navy, although neither its tactical reach nor the vessels built around it were settled. The Archer class emerged from this mix of policy, budget pressure, and an uncertain threat before destroyer doctrine had matured.