Divided authority at the Admiralty

In this interpretation, the pursuit of Goeben exposed divisions at the Admiralty as well as weaknesses in Mediterranean command. Several people issued instructions while disagreeing about where the German ships were heading. Battenberg faced staff factions concerned with who would succeed him, while Churchill's interventions weakened his authority further. Churchill discussed Milne's appointment with Fisher even though Battenberg was the serving First Sea Lord. Fisher feared that Milne would fail to exploit opportunities. Churchill preferred Fisher's treatment of him as a knowledgeable colleague to Battenberg's more formal dealings with him as a politician.