How wind and tide concentrated sailing-fleet battles

How did the flexibility of the wooden wall compare with later iron and steel fleets?

Sailing ships were flexible in employment, but wind and tide constrained where fleets could move; independent steam power changed that geography even as navies adopted iron and steel construction.

Sailing ships could perform many different duties, but their routes still depended on prevailing winds, tides, and the points where those forces converged. Fleets therefore met repeatedly near places such as Cape Trafalgar and Ushant. Steam propulsion left weather as a factor while giving commanders much greater freedom to choose routes and positions. Independent power changed the geography of fleet movement as navies adopted iron and steel construction.