John Byng drilled the fleet every day, improving its gunnery, sailing, station keeping, and organization. He failed to translate those gains into confidence in what the force could accomplish. Rigid adherence to line tactics and avoidance of a close action gave up the chance to break through or damage the French badly enough to endanger the siege. Even a tactical defeat might have advanced the operational objective more than withdrawal did. The drills produced a more capable fleet, but Byng's command decisions did not make use of it.
Notable Point · 41:48-44:08
John Byng trained an improved fleet he did not trust
John Byng drilled his ships into better gunnery, station keeping, and organization, yet failed to recognize those gains or use them to pursue a riskier relief of Menorca.