Gloire, Warrior, and constrained naval counterfactuals

The Gloire and HMS Warrior example shows how a naval counterfactual can stay within historical limits. Once France builds Gloire, a Royal Navy response is effectively certain; the useful question is whether Britain chooses a one- or two-deck answer and how many ships it orders. HMS Warrior captured public imagination because she looked more impressive within familiar warship conventions, even though Gloire was closer to the form later ironclads would take. Choosing a two-deck British response would increase immediate firepower but create new questions about turret placement and the path toward later battleship arrangements. The example remains anchored in institutional incentives, existing technology, and real design tradeoffs rather than inventing an unconstrained outcome.