Alan Everett's breakdown required a sensitive but rapid replacement. Rear Admiral David Murray Anderson moved across from the Yangtze command before Alexander Sinclair filled the post as an emergency appointment. Sinclair was regarded as one of the brightest officers of his generation, but another appointment forced his return home. Their roughly year-long or shorter tenures contrasted with earlier two-year commands. Experience on station mattered because naval, diplomatic, and local political problems overlapped. Even excellent replacements could not immediately acquire the relationships and regional knowledge built through continuity.
Notable Point · 55:26-1:00:30
Command turnover weakened station experience
Illness and emergency appointments shortened commanders' time on station, limiting the local experience needed for a politically complex theater.