HMS Warrior and HMS Black Prince operated with other warships during their early service. Their individual power therefore understates the strength available when a squadron arrived together. Supporting ships made it harder for an opponent to overwhelm even a powerful ironclad through numbers. The discussion uses humorous imagined encounters to explain how the presence of a larger squadron could give weight to a smaller ship's diplomatic visit.
Notable Point · 1:08:41-1:10:45
Warrior and Black Prince operated with supporting squadrons
The two early British ironclads demonstrate how supporting warships added to the force and diplomatic weight of a powerful individual ship.