How important was copper-bottoming to the Royal Navy's eventual success in the age of sail?
Short answerExceptionally important: it improved sustained speed, reduced maintenance interruptions, and increased the effective force generated from the same fleet.
NotesCopper sheathing helped the Royal Navy keep more ships in service for longer and maintain them on distant stations. The same number of hulls could provide more usable naval force, although coppering the fleet was expensive. Early installations created problems when copper-covered ships with iron nails were immersed in seawater, prompting a switch to copper nails. Large-scale adoption required enough good-quality copper at an affordable price. British domestic reserves supported both initial fitting and maintenance during war. France and Spain had more limited accessible supplies and depended more heavily on overseas trade, which the Royal Navy could interrupt.