The pace of technical change created a procurement problem for ships such as La Gloire and HMS Warrior. La Gloire could plausibly claim exceptional power for only a few months before Warrior arrived larger, faster, longer-ranged, and more heavily armed. Shipbuilding moved more slowly than the underlying development of machinery, armour, and weapons. The result was an era in which a major investment could lose its technical lead almost immediately, while a visually impressive ship also served as a statement of industrial and national power.
Notable Point · 14:54-16:34
When technology outruns warship construction
La Gloire's short-lived supremacy illustrates how rapidly changing technology could make a new warship second-best before construction cycles caught up.