Why naval initiative changes from one era to another

Did First World War British captains lack the initiative associated with Nelson or Onslow?

Their behavior reflected the professional culture and experiences of their own era, just as captains in the Napoleonic Wars and Second World War reflected theirs.

First World War captains cannot be judged simply against Nelsonian or Second World War standards. Officers in each period were products of different professional experiences, expectations, and command cultures. Those formative conditions shaped what initiative looked like and how much independence a captain expected to exercise. Individual decisions therefore need to be read within their institutional setting.