Thanks for the book info Lizzie,I shall seek out and buy a copy of that.One of Nelsons great attributes was in calling his captains together outlining his attack plan and ultimate goal and then knowing how a sea fight could change due to weather and other factors,he'd trust them to use their initiative and judgement to "put their ship alongside that of an enemy" to achieve the desired outcome.
Exactly right. But that is what did not happen at Jutland with a rigid following of 'the book'. Apart from the very bold action by Vice Admiral Sir David Beatty of the First Battlecruiser Squandron, who, maybe recklessness to some, did lead his battlecruisers to do what they were meant to do and attack the enemy, with him then, after losing three ships, bravely leading the German fleet towards the main body of the Grand Fleet. But due to mistakes, including Beatty leaving the Fifth Battle Squadron (4 super-dreadnoughts) behind when they should have been covering Beatty's ships; the weaknesses of the battlecruisers already described; then Admiral Sir John Jellicoe turning his fleet away from the confrontation with the High Seas Fleet when Beatty had succeeded in his aim, and the rigidness of other commanders, a wonderful opportunity to destroy the German fleet was not taken. Nelson took risks; Beatty took risks, but Jellicoe did not and (hotly argued both ways by naval commanders and historians alike with the possible effects of German submarines and mines to be taken into account) either did the right thing by not risking his vastly superior fleet, or missed the golden moment to decimate the enemy as the First Sea Lord, Sir John Fisher had intended when he built up the 'two power standard' Grand Fleet, as much as the German Admiral Alfred Von Tirpitz had developed the High Seas 'Risk Fleet'. Everyone wanted
Der Tag to finally prove who could achieve the most with their respective fleets.
The Royal Navy not only had problems with commanders being too cautious, and unlucky, but they even failed to attack the retreating German fleets as those units passed through British llines of heavy ships because it was night time; the Royal Navy at that time was NOT trained to fight at night, and so many captains of the British ships let the Germans pass! British destroyers, with typical captains who did take risks, did bravely attack some of those heavy ships of the German fleet, but unfortunatly suffered losses; 8 destroyers sunk and 532 crew killed. If the heavy ships of the Grand Fleet had taken the risk and fought at night these losses could have been avoided, and the German 'escape' with relatively light casualties, could have been very different. But, history is history and little but discussing what transpired can happen now.