Q&A ยท 2:15:32-2:16:54

The earliest practical turbine armored cruiser

The necessary turbines, boilers, guns, and turrets were just feasible in 1902, allowing a pioneering armored cruiser to enter service around 1904.

Question

When was the earliest that a turbine-powered armored cruiser could have been built?

Short answer

An order was technically feasible around 1902, with a ship plausibly entering service in about 1904.

Notes

A turbine armored cruiser depends on the whole machinery and weapons system being mature enough to order together. A workable combination of turbines, boilers, guns, and turrets dates to about 1902. Construction and trials would then push launch and commissioning into roughly 1903-04. The machinery would be less refined than the systems available by 1906, but it would be technically usable rather than a purely experimental demonstrator.