The Battleship depended on the development of reliable Steel and better propulsion. Before the Battleship, ship makers experimented with plating sailing ships in wrought iron, and by 1872 the first mast-less, turreted, sea going ship began patrolling the seas. Soon though, more reliable steel opened the way for larger, faster warships. By the 1910's the British floated warships (the Queen Elizabeth class) that displaced over 25 thousand tons, had a speed of 25 knots, and were the first ships to carry 15-inch guns.