Naval cleanliness is explained as a disease-prevention measure because illness aboard a ship could not be isolated from the crew. Concern about coal and dirt therefore did not amount to blanket institutional hostility toward steam power. The more consequential technical break came with ironclads, after the navy had already gained long experience operating steam machinery. The Royal Navy's conversion and construction effort, including roughly seventy of about 112 steam ships of the line, shows how extensively it adopted the technology. British admirals also left more complaints about steam because the Royal Navy operated more such ships, while smaller fleets might encounter them only as occasional novelties.
Chapter · 1:37:55-1:39:42
The Royal Navy and the transition to steam
The discussion challenges the idea that the Royal Navy simply rejected steam power because of coal, dirt, or tradition.