Actually jack, if you want to be pedantic, Gloire WAS an ironclad- Warrior was not.
IronCLAD refers to the placing of iron sheeting over the hull. Warrior did not have a wooden hull (but did have a wooden skeleton- there IS a difference).
HMS Warrior was sufficiently far ahead of her contempories to be classed as ground breaking. She was twice the size and fire power, significantly faster and her weapon range meant she could obliterate the opposition whilst remaining outside of their retaliatory fire.
You must remember that the period marked a fast pace of change and 10 years represented a substantial development period. You could also look at HMS Dreadnought- again a similarly massive leap forward in technology- yet she was outdated well before her expected lifespan. Why? Each Country will follow the developments of another, learn from its mistakes and have the benefit of foresight.
That is how nearly all technological development works.
Can I suggest that you should have a look up on the official warrior site- it has a generic section on warship development.
