Gloire, Warrior and the frigate's move into the battle line

Warrior and Black Prince were called frigates because they carried one main gun deck. Their armour and combat power nevertheless put them in the battle line, ahead of the wooden ships associated with that role. Gloire preceded them as an ironclad of this type; the comparison favours the larger British ships for overcoming problems associated with the French design. The classification inherited from sailing warships therefore described gun-deck arrangement more readily than fighting position. Their subsequent evolution into battleships shows how a familiar ship name can become detached from its earlier operational meaning.