Vian came to HMS Active as a gunnery officer with recent Admiralty staff experience, rather than as a destroyer specialist. Three months of half-pay leave preceded the appointment, reflecting interwar efforts to prevent burnout and protect officers' family lives. Active was a relatively new divisional leader, so his first independent command also required him to coordinate several other destroyers. Andrew Cunningham demanded a standard of training higher than Vian had thought attainable. When Vian damaged Active while maneuvering alongside a depot ship at Malta, he attributed the accident plainly to his own mishandling. Commander-in-Chief William Wordsworth Fisher valued the confession and continued to encourage him.
Chapter · 4:39-9:46
HMS Active and the Mediterranean school of command
Vian's first independent destroyer command placed him among demanding Mediterranean mentors and taught him to combine relentless training with candid responsibility.