Battleship
Britain and France kept trying to build warships that were better than each other. Later in the 19th century other countries like Germany, Russia, Japan, Italy and the United States also built many battleships. Different countries used new inventions to make their ships more powerful, with things like steel armour, rifled guns, and better kinds of steam engine. By around 1890 people started to call their best ships 'battleships' instead of 'ironclads'. Many people, including many Admirals and politicians, thought battleships were very important. If there was a war, the country with the best battleships would win, by sinking the other side's navy and stopping them bringing food and goods into their country (called a blockade). But battleships were also very expensive, and other people thought it was better to spend the money on a better army, or things like pensions for old people.