Chalmers presents a genuine constraint on Beatty's reporting choices. By the time he met the Grand Fleet, Beatty had not seen Scheer's battleships for roughly an hour, so an estimated position might have done more harm than good. Remaining in visual contact with the High Seas Fleet would also have delayed his junction with Jellicoe and prevented him from getting ahead of Hipper. Chalmers uses those tradeoffs to defend Beatty's handling of the battlecruisers and the time it bought the Grand Fleet. The review accepts the tactical dilemma and disputes the book's assumption that Beatty knew Goodenough and Evan-Thomas were supplying Jellicoe with the necessary reports.
Notable Point · 16:37-17:32
Shadowing Scheer was not a cost-free solution
Chalmers argues that Beatty could not simply shadow the High Seas Fleet or send a stale estimate without sacrificing his tactical position or misleading Jellicoe.