Why the Royal Navy let coaling at sea atrophy

Why did the Royal Navy let its replenishment-at-sea capability atrophy during the nineteenth century?

It lacked an opponent requiring a sustained distant blockade, while transferring coal at sea was slow and difficult and expanding access to coaling ports offered a simpler alternative.

No opponent required the Royal Navy to sustain a coal-fired blockade fleet far from ports. Coal could be transferred at sea, and the United States Navy attempted it during the American Civil War, but the process was awkward, time-consuming, and dependent on durable sacks of suitable fuel. Steam boilers consumed coal fast enough to make those handling difficulties operationally important. As shore access improved, the navy had little incentive to preserve an expensive and demanding technique for a mission it did not currently need. The capability consequently had to be redeveloped when later wars restored the requirement.