Midshipman John Arbuthnot Fisher first went to sea in 1863 on the ironclad HMS Warrior. The ship represented the highest state of the naval architect's art, had cost £265,000 (about 5 million gold marks), was 151 meters long, displaced 9,180 tons, and mounted forty 68-pounder guns. Its Penn trunk power plant developed 5,270 horsepower for a top speed of 14 knots. A 11.5-centimeter midsection armor belt protected 45 centimeters of teak hull. Two years later, across the North Sea, Midshipman Alfred Tirpitz began his career aboard the Prussian navy's first propeller-driven vessel, the protected frigate SMS Arcona. The Arcona had a 1,365-horsepower steam power plant, displaced 2,361 tons, was 71.8 meters long, and had a best speed of 14 knots. It mounted six 68-pounder and twenty 36-pounder guns; maximum firing range was 5,000 meters. The Arcona's hull was made of sturdy oak, and the ship had cost 2.2 million gold marks.

In 1914–15, in his second term as First Sea Lord, Fisher supervised the entry into service of HMS Queen Elizabeth, laid down in 1912. It was 195 meters long, displaced 27,500 tons, and was the world's first oil-fired turbine-driven battleship. Belt armor had increased to a maximum of 33 centimeters; the 75,000-horsepower power plant provided a top speed of 24 knots; the main armament of eight 15-inch (38.1-centimeter) guns fired a broadside of 7,000 kilograms up to 25 kilometers; and the ship had cost £2.6 million (about 50 million gold marks) to build and arm.