Battleships
Ships increased in size and firepower, but up until shortly before the Civil War, there were no significant advances in the basic technology involved. Again, propulsion took precedence, with the advent of steam. Guns were also growing in size and power, which reduced the number that could be carried and made it more important that they be used more efficiently. And of course, armor became improved with the advent of the ironclads. Where before, the thickness of the wooden hull was less a defense than simply the structure of the ship, adding iron added protection that defeated most of the cannon of the day.
Modern battleships grew slowly out of those early ironclads. In the late 1800's, the basic design of warships began to change into what became known as Pre Dreadnoughts. From a long form with single muzzle loading guns spaced along the sides, usually on multiple decks, the trend turned to a slimmer form with very large caliber breech loading guns mounted in turrets. Instead of being ironclads, they became all steel, with wood limited to decking. Masts continued in place for quite some time after the advent of steam, and was occasionally used, in smaller vessels, as a secondary power source. Eventually, these too disappeared, and all that remained became supports for observation and communications. The Pre Dreadnoughts were not uniform. Some continued with muzzle loading weapons long past reason; others held onto masts and sails, and others were slow to make use of the sleek and efficient lines offered by steel.
Finally, in 1906, the Royal Navy launched what was to become the forerunner of the true modern battleship, HMS Dreadnought. Dreadnought was the first of the 'all big gun' ships. Instead of being armed with a bewildering variety of calibers, it carried a main battery of ten 12" guns in five turrets. The secondary battery consisted of 27 3" guns, and five torpedo tubes. Dreadnought was powered by coal driven steam turbines, and could achieve a speed of 21 knots. Her guns were breech loaders, which allowed crews to serve them from the relative safety of the turret, without having to expose themselves to the enemy in order to ram fresh charges down the muzzle. The turrets allowed the guns to fire in a wide arc, over 100 degrees of angle to either side of amidships, independent of the course of the ship. This reduced the number of guns
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