The 1888 scenario placed Tryon's Achill Fleet in hostile Irish bases while Baird's British force protected England, Scotland, and Wales. Baird attempted to contain the opposing ships at Berehaven and Lough Swilly, but Tryon and his second-in-command broke out on 4 August. Arethusa was assessed as lost the following day, while Amphion's unusually successful raiding generated arguments about the rules. Because everyone knew the exercise would end on 20 August, the scenario rewarded an earlier sortie and could not reproduce the wartime option of waiting for blockaders to wear down.
Chapter · 38:51-43:00
The 1888 blockade exercise tested fleet assumptions
Tryon's Achill Fleet escaped Baird's blockade, while the fixed exercise dates distorted decisions that could have differed in war.