A steel Old Ironsides forces propulsion to catch up

What if USS Constitution had been the world's first steel warship but still relied entirely on sail?

It would be an awkward, heavy sailing ship whose limitations would push navies toward steam propulsion sooner.

The panel treats a steel-built Constitution as a change large enough to alter much more than hull material. An early steel sailing hull would be heavy and difficult to move in light winds compared with a mature wooden design. Those handling penalties would create strong pressure to develop or adopt steam propulsion quickly. The counterfactual therefore links materials and machinery: introducing one technology before its supporting systems are ready can accelerate the rest of the package.