Royal Navy signals could order a ship to make best possible speed without naming a fixed knot figure. In practice, the phrase shifted the burden below decks, where engineers extracted every fraction of a knot from boilers, machinery, and hull condition. During the Bismarck pursuit, the Navy was prepared to consume fuel and wear out battleship machinery because interception mattered more than returning under the ship's own power. The remark that damaged battleships could be towed home captures the operational calculation: propulsion life was expendable when strategic concentration depended on arriving in time. A routine signal could therefore impose severe engineering labour, logistical costs, and command risk.
Notable Point · 1:31:30-1:32:30
What best possible speed demanded below decks
The phrase concealed engineers scraping for fractions of a knot while fleet commanders accepted fuel use, machinery damage, and even a later tow.