Royal Navy admirals and the loss of the Third Sea Lord

Would a law limiting admirals to one for every eleven ships give the Royal Navy more ships or fewer admirals?

If all ships counted, fewer admirals. Admiral totals also need to distinguish honorary ranks, while major procurement programmes require senior officers with authority.

Counting every ship would make the proposed ratio a restriction on the number of admirals. Admiral totals can include honorary ranks, which complicates comparison with the officers doing the work. Large programmes such as an SSBN programme require senior authority to make procurement decisions and challenge contractors. Removing the Third Sea Lord may have increased the need for separate admirals overseeing each programme, whereas captains previously had that office's backing. The concentrated procurement authority also made the Third Sea Lord intimidating to companies and governments. Strategic knowledge alone does not supply the naval experience needed to tell a yard how the fleet's ships must be built. Admiral Henderson's unannounced Sunday visits to shipyards illustrate the direct oversight the office could exercise.