Why iron hulls did not end combat losses

Did iron hulls and armor significantly reduce the number of ships lost in combat compared with wooden warships?

Iron protection did not guarantee fewer losses, because guns also became more powerful and could defeat the improved armor.

Stronger construction cannot be assessed while holding weapons technology still. Modern materials taken back to 1910 could create armor that period guns would struggle to penetrate. Taking modern gun technology back as well would erase that advantage and push designers toward speed and firepower. Protection changed the terms of the competition without freezing offensive technology or permanently lowering loss rates. Hull material alone cannot explain survival rates.