Calder's result might have brought distinction thirty or forty years earlier. By 1805, however, Duncan's ten captures at Camperdown and Nelson's victories had changed what the Royal Navy believed an outnumbered admiral could achieve. Institutional expectations change with recent examples, so commanders are judged against more than the immediate odds. An Olympics comparison adds an important caveat: preparation and effort do not eliminate chance, narrow margins, or the vagaries of battle luck.
Notable Point · 17:08-19:43
Calder, moving expectations, and battle luck
Calder's reprimand shows how recent victories moved the standard for acceptable command, even though naval outcomes still depended partly on circumstance and battle luck.