Three British admirals commanded twenty-seven ships, while thirteen senior officers served among thirty-three Allied ships. That imbalance reflected political and institutional weakness rather than compensating for shortages of experienced captains and sailors. The Allied fleet also contained more very large ships, but greater gun numbers and senior rank could not make up for deficiencies lower down the command chain. A viewer notes that detachments from different ports naturally brought senior officers together, which provides part of the explanation. The Royal Navy was more willing to let a senior captain perform a commodore-like role without multiplying formal flag ranks.
Chapter · 39:03-55:39
A top-heavy command structure in the Allied fleet
Britain's compact command structure differed sharply from the Franco-Spanish concentration of admirals, commodores, and very large ships.