Graham and White build the Admiral class to endure

Vice Admiral William Graham supplied the fighting philosophy and William Henry White translated it into steel. Deep machinery, protected communications, fuel, ballast, and water-filled spaces contributed to survivability, including the deliberate use of water as part of the armor scheme. Protection against raking fire also shows that tactical assumptions inherited from the age of sail remained present in ironclad design. Heavy guns projected status while quick-firing weapons supplied much of the practical destructive power at likely battle ranges. Building six made the likelihood of several ships arriving together part of their deterrent value.