Standardization and the rise of shore support

The transition from sail to steam made mobile support harder before it made it easier. A fleet of technically diverse ships created an impractical inventory problem for any single store or repair vessel. Engines, boilers, propellers, and fittings could all require incompatible spare parts, making a large shore inventory more economical than loading every possibility afloat. Overseas bases combined coal, warehouses, and technical components so increasingly specialized equipment could be maintained at a viable cost. During the Franco-Prussian War, the need for French ships to return home for coal exposed the operational penalty of an inadequate support network.