How reserve ships gave the Royal Navy personnel depth

Forward and Foresight spent much of their first decade in reserve, a normal arrangement for large navies of the period. The Royal Navy could own more hulls than it needed to crew continuously in peacetime. It could also maintain a slightly larger establishment of regular officers than active appointments required. An officer studying, travelling with family, or otherwise away for several months could remain assigned to a reserve ship and be recalled in war. Reserve organization therefore gave the fleet both stored hulls and trained personnel for rapid wartime expansion.