The consequences for Beatty's signals officer, Ralph Seymour, extended beyond the immediate battle. Beatty used Seymour as a scapegoat even though he had appointed him without complete preparation for the role. A commanding officer was responsible both for training that subordinate and for checking the flags hoisted within sight of the admiral's bridge. Seymour later suffered a breakdown, left the Navy, and died by suicide in 1922. The case makes accountability and duty of care part of the command lesson rather than treating signaling as an isolated technical mistake.
Notable Point · 3:09:27-3:10:32
Beatty made Seymour a signaling scapegoat
Ralph Seymour carried blame for the signal failures even though Beatty had appointed an incompletely trained officer and failed to supervise his work.