Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:46:26-2:46:55

When ironclad battleships became obsolete

The Royal Sovereign era marks the point when older ironclad battleships could no longer rely on numbers alone to overcome their limitations.

BattleshipsIroncladsNaval TechnologyRoyal Sovereign Class Pre-Dreadnought Battleships
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Question

At what point did ironclad battleships become obsolete?

Short answer

By the Royal Sovereign era, when their limitations were too serious to be overcome simply by concentrating more ships.

Notes

Ironclad obsolescence was not a single instant defined by the launch of the first Royal Sovereign. The stage represented by HMS Repulse within the class offers a better marker. By then, the newer battleship's advantages were too large for older ironclads to overcome merely through greater numbers. Obsolescence here is a widening capability gap rather than a ceremonial date.