Why Beatty was poorly suited to the Battle Cruiser Force

Beatty's abilities did not match the particular command problem presented by the Battle Cruiser Force. In this assessment, he might have made a strong First Sea Lord and would have suited independent battlecruiser operations against surface raiders, where dash and overwhelming firepower could cover mistakes. Coordinating a fleet scouting force against organized opposition required a commander who impressed reporting duties at every level. The recently transferred Fifth Battle Squadron came from a Grand Fleet environment in which ships near Jellicoe could assume that the commander-in-chief already knew when the enemy was close. That background made explicit communication expectations especially important, and responsibility for establishing them stopped with Beatty.