Sailing ships could sometimes be careened with limited facilities, but ironclads and later ships needed much more capable docks. Once built, a graving dock remained fixed while successive warship generations grew rapidly. The contrast between the roughly 20,000-ton Invincibles and the much larger HMS Hood shows how quickly a planned support network could become inadequate. Dock dimensions, access, and location therefore shaped the kinds of ships a worldwide navy could keep ready.
Notable Point · 3:12-7:43
When ships outgrow their dockyards
The move from sail to ironclads and battlecruisers made advanced docking capacity a direct constraint on ship design and worldwide operations.