Duncan continued signaling as his two divisions rushed the Dutch, but the pace and complexity eventually overwhelmed Captain John Inglis's signal-book work aboard HMS Belliqueux. Inglis abandoned the attempt to decode every instruction and reduced the mission to steering into the enemy's center. Duncan's two years of training meant his captains already understood that close engagement and cutting the Dutch off from shore were the governing intent. Inglis preserved that intent when detailed control became impractical, a clear age-of-sail example of mission command.
Notable Point · 1:15:57-1:20:25
When Camperdown's signal book gave way to mission command
Signal overload at Camperdown reveals a fleet trained to preserve Duncan's intent even when captains could no longer decode every order.