The quick pace of change meant that many ships were obsolete as soon as they were finished , and that naval tactics were in a state of flux . Many ironclads were built to make use of the ram or the torpedo , which a number of naval designers considered the important weapons of naval combat . There is no clear end to the ironclad period , but towards the end of the 1890s the term ironclad dropped out of use . New ships were increasingly constructed to a standard pattern and designated battleships or armored cruisers .