Royal ship names complicate a rapid replacement policy

Fleet of Oceans wants a modern fleet in 1898 without tying scarce crews to obsolete ships. Clarke objects that a king could resist scrapping a ship after fifteen years when other navies keep comparable vessels for twenty to thirty years. Naming ships for the monarch creates a further obstacle because the king may want the honor while opposing an early disposal. Older ironclads could therefore remain in reserve longer than the original proposal assumes. A compromise puts two battleships in colonial service as guard ships, one at Manila and one at Havana, alongside a larger reserve or mothballed force. Small maintenance parties would keep their guns and engines working while the ships remained in place.