A destroyer's lieutenant or lieutenant commander could be outranked by the senior officers whose work brought them into conflict. Bayly's command principle required those officers to bring complaints to the admiral responsible for the destroyer. This put disputes between senior officers instead of leaving a junior commander to defend himself against superior rank. The protection came with demanding standards and accountability to their own admiral. A justified risk could receive support even when it failed, while a risk taken for poor reasons still brought consequences. This balance of backing and accountability gave destroyer officers confidence to act.
Notable Point · 1:00:57-1:03:45
An admiral's backing protected junior destroyer commanders
Bayly's protection placed disputes at the admiral's level while leaving destroyer officers answerable for their own judgment.