Obsolete cruisers become tenders and mine stores

Crew shortages made it impractical to send the Irene class to sea as cruisers, but their hulls still met essential support needs. Conversion of Irene into a submarine tender allowed an obsolete cruiser to sustain newer and more useful combatants. A sister used as a mine-storage hulk provided secure capacity without consuming a purpose-built ship. Keeping explosive stores aboard a vessel away from vital harbor facilities also reduced the consequences of an accident or attack. An old hull could therefore retain substantial operational value even when it was no longer worth crewing for combat.