Sydney Dacres served as captain of the fleet in the Mediterranean, a traditional role equivalent to an admiral's chief of staff. This officer coordinated the commander's work while the ship's own captain remained responsible for the flagship. Because messages and command attention already converged on the flagship, the captain of the fleet was also well placed to preserve continuity if senior commanders were lost. The office demonstrates that sailing and early steam fleets possessed staff functions even when they used different titles from a modern headquarters.
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The captain of the fleet acted as an admiral's chief of staff
Learn why a flagship might carry two captains and how the captain of the fleet coordinated command before modern staff titles became standard.