Brunel could normalize larger experimental ironclads

What if Isambard Kingdom Brunel became Britain's director of naval construction in the 1850s?

He would still build to the brief, but Britain might gain larger experimental ironclads and order them in greater numbers.

Brunel's work should not be reduced to a single impractical giant. As an engineer, he could follow a design brief and might test steam-only European warships while retaining sails for distant stations. A requirement to dominate the French Gloire could produce a two-deck ironclad larger than Warrior and a program of three or four ships rather than one or two. That procurement precedent could matter as much as any individual hull by normalizing larger classes for later capital-ship competitions.