Marceau becomes a floating workshop

Early ironclad construction made Marceau easier to strip and convert than a later ship with more deeply integrated armor. Her large hull offered workshop space and had already supported torpedo-crew training before the war. As a floating workshop, she could fabricate or repair parts for torpedo boats and submarines whose machinery suffered constant wear in salt water. Mobile support reduced dependence on vulnerable or undeveloped bases and could move as operations shifted. The obsolete capital ship became logistics infrastructure that kept many smaller combatants ready.