The first types of ironclads introduced into the Royal Navy, as for example, the _Warrior_ and _Black Prince_, were nearly identical in general appearance to the war-ships of the day. Now _all_ British ironclads are built with sides approaching the upright or vertical above water. At first they only attempted broadside fire; now bow and stern guns are common. The _Warrior_, as the earliest example of an ironclad in the Royal Navy, deserves special mention. She is doing duty to-day, and is by no means an effete example, but an excellent and useful vessel. She is armoured at the middle only, in the most exposed parts. In other words, her engines and leading guns are protected, while the rest of her hull, though strong, is not armour-covered. _Now_, whatever weight of armour this central, or “box-battery,” as it has been termed, may have, there is always a continuous belt of iron extending from stem to stern, and protecting the region of the water-line and steering gear, the counter of the ship being carried below the water in order to screen the rudder-head. This improvement is due to Sir Spencer Robinson. The _Warrior’s_ armour was uniform in thickness; now it is strongest in the vital parts. The _Warrior_ had only a main-deck battery armour plated; recent ships have had a protected upper-deck battery given them. The _Warrior_ carried a large number of guns in an outspread battery; all later ships, of whatever type, have had a _concentrated_ battery of much heavier guns. This early armoured ship is long; nearly all later examples are much shorter in proportion to their breadth.