Hoche's short window as a capable ironclad

Hoche shows how quickly a late-nineteenth-century capital ship could lose front-line relevance. She remained a capable combatant for roughly three years after entering service, became a third-line unit as newer ironclads overtook her, and was effectively obsolete after about six years. Her useful period still belonged to close battle ranges that Nelson would have recognized, so optical rangefinding was not the central issue. Rapid design turnover mattered even before long-range fire control transformed naval combat.