The RN just called them battleships. Within this, there were several distinctions. First-class battleships were the most modern, powerful designs, those that are commonly thought of as being pre-dreadnoughts. Second-class battleships were, in the 1890s, older turret-ships, built in the late 1870s and early 1880s, and retained for coastal defence and fleet reserve. Third-class battleships were the oldest battleships in the fleet, some of which retained central-battery armament, and even in some cases sails. As the years progressed, the RN got scrapped the original 3rd and 2nd class ships, and reclassified some of the 1st-class ships as 2nd-class, generally those with a lighter armament. These ships were retained on colonial stations, or used to reinforce cruiser squadrons.