Mahan wrote when steam navies had too little combat experience to settle competing tactical theories. Galleys and steamships could both manoeuvre independently of the wind, encouraging predictions that modern battles would become close melees. That analogy overlooked the exhaustion of galley rowers and the much shorter range of ancient weapons. A confused clash between equal fleets could waste the advantages of a better-trained force and more capable captains. Mahan leaves the final test to battle experience while arguing that tactical skill could achieve more than a rush into close combat.
Notable Point · 27:24-31:02
Why Mahan questioned the steam-age naval melee
An analogy between galleys and steamships overlooked differences in endurance and weapons, while a melee could squander a fleet's training and tactical advantages.