HMS Shannon and the return of the ram concept

Was HMS Shannon designed too narrowly around ramming?

Her layout reflected a forward-closing concept even though she lacked the intended ram, and success might have encouraged a direct line toward later ram ships such as Polyphemus.

The prompt argues that Shannon was laid out around ramming at the expense of general duties. Her concentration of forward fire and protection encouraged a head-on closing action rather than flexible cruiser employment. She was not completed with the intended ram, so the tactical concept remained only partially embodied in the ship. Had Shannon proved successful, designers might have treated her as a precedent for HMS Polyphemus and other vessels built around the attack approach. The unsuccessful design still reveals a possible evolutionary path toward later ram ships.