Do new technologies make warships obsolete?

Did people in the ironclad era think emerging technologies would make naval ships unnecessary?

Yes, such claims recur. Torpedoes, submarines, and other innovations changed warships and warfare without making ships irrelevant.

Claims that a new weapon will make warships irrelevant have recurred since the ironclad era. Torpedoes and submarines provided prominent examples around the turn of the twentieth century. These systems changed the nature of warships and naval warfare without abolishing either. Each innovation also increased operational complexity and created new design, defensive, and support requirements.