Why rams survived the quick-firing gun era

Why was the Royal Navy still commissioning ram-equipped ships in the era of quick-firing guns and high explosives?

Rams were a proven fallback, so they stayed alongside newer guns as insurance against the failure of less established weapons.

Quick-firing guns and high explosives did not erase the ram's appeal overnight. Navies tend to be conservative in procurement because a bad technical judgment can cost a war. The Royal Navy already knew that ramming could sink a ship, including through accidents between friendly vessels. A ram therefore remained a dependable fallback alongside newer weapons. A ram-equipped ship could carry modern guns while retaining an attack its officers believed would work.