Why Britain would not rent Warrior to the Union

Would Britain have rented a Warrior-class ironclad to the Union to hunt Confederate cruisers built in France?

Probably not: Britain needed its newest ironclads, though the Royal Navy could quietly report Confederate raiders and act if British shipping were attacked.

The Warrior class was too important to Britain's own response to foreign ironclads to be rented abroad. Neutrality still left room for Royal Navy officers to pass along sightings of Confederate raiders or protect British shipping. Britain could accept Confederate money without committing its newest ironclads to Confederate service or lending them to the Union. Finance, intelligence, ship sales, and official naval support all occupied different places in the relationship.