††††Between 1800 and 1915 steam warships were introduced. These were built of iron originally and then later of steel. The wooden ships were no longer strong enough for the larger steam engines. Those ships powered by steam engines used a lot of coal and they used their sails to supplement the steam power. Because they still clung to a masted sailing rig, early turret-ships proved unstable. The first battleship with a modern look was Devastation, built in 1871, which at last rejected sails. She carried four 12-inch (30 centimetre) muzzle-loading guns in twin turrets.
In the 1880s the term 'battleship' began to be used. Previously warships were classed under different rates, 1st to 6th, according to the number of guns they carried.
