Command depth keeps damaged British ships in action

When Majestic's captain is killed, Lieutenant Robert Cuthbert disentangles the ship, takes a new position between Tonnant and Heureux, and continues engaging both. Naval effectiveness resides in trained crews and a deep command tradition as well as hulls and guns. A familiar maxim contrasts the few years needed to build a ship with roughly thirty years to build a crew and centuries to build an institutional tradition. The comparison with Joseon command failures during the Imjin War emphasizes the damage caused by repeatedly removing experienced officers. France can replace hulls faster than it can rebuild the people lost from its officer corps. That personnel shortage helps explain why later French strategy depends on obtaining or subordinating Spanish and Dutch naval strength.