Q&A · 2:31:06-2:31:26

Could steel warships be placed in ordinary?

Steel construction did not prevent mothballing: Victorian warships and interwar V and W-class destroyers spent time in ordinary before reactivation.

Interwar Period Reserve Fleet Royal Navy Ship Maintenance V And W Class Destroyers

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Question

Was it possible to put steel ships into ordinary?

Short answer

Yes; the Royal Navy routinely mothballed steel ships and later brought vessels such as V and W-class destroyers back into service.

Notes

Steel ships could be placed in ordinary and later reactivated. The Royal Navy did this routinely in the Victorian period and in the 1920s and 1930s. V and W-class destroyers are the example of ships brought back from mothball status.