Central battery ship

The centre battery ship (UK) or casemate ship (continental navies) was a development of the (high-freeboard) broadside ironclad of the 1860s. The central battery ships had their main guns concentrated in the middle of the ship in an armoured citadel. The concentration of armament amidships meant the ship could be shorter and handier than a broadside type like previous warships. In this manner the design could maximize the thickness of armour in a limited area while still carrying a significant broadside. These ships meant the end of the armoured frigates with their full-length gun decks.