After Abdülaziz's removal, Murad V lasted only 93 days before being replaced. The empire then approached war without stable political direction. When the conflict came, Ottoman high command held back its largest and most powerful ironclads. Prestige mattered alongside the difficulties of crewing the ships, preparing them for combat, and accepting the consequences of losing vessels that could not readily be replaced. The conclusion is blunt: navies buy ships to use them.
Notable Point · 14:49-16:14
The Russo-Turkish War and unready ironclads
The 1877-78 Russo-Turkish War exposed the cost of preserving powerful ironclads that could not readily be crewed, prepared, and risked in combat.