Warrior's 1871-75 refit added new boilers, a steam capstan, and a shorter bowsprit, reducing the manpower needed for the ship's heavy anchor. The Russo-Turkish War then brought her back into mobilized service. British policy aimed to prevent a Russian advance on Constantinople and control of the Dardanelles. Keeping the strait out of Russian hands confined Russian naval power to the Black Sea. The feared advance did not occur, so Warrior went to Bantry Bay instead, but her mobilization shows how reserve ships supported deterrence during a regional crisis.
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Dardanelles crisis and Warrior's mobilization
Warrior's 1877-78 mobilization connects an aging ironclad to British efforts to keep Russia from controlling the Dardanelles and escaping the Black Sea.