A defensible decision could still end an active command

A legitimate professional decision could still differ from the choice an institution most wanted its commander to make. Somerville early in the war had been more aggressive, while prolonged responsibility made his later choices increasingly cautious. The Royal Navy could understand such restraint without a court martial or public disgrace and still move the officer toward shore employment. Axis concern for scarce hulls warns that preserving ships can become self-defeating when it prevents them from contesting sea control. Jellicoe's withdrawal from torpedoes at Jutland provides the harder comparison: tactically correct preservation could remain culturally unsatisfying when the service expected continued pursuit.