A recalled 1935 exercise ended with two capital ships colliding after umpires repeatedly judged their fire ineffective and they continued to close. Hood's opponent may have been Renown or Repulse, so the precise pairing remains uncertain in this account. A court-martial blamed one captain, but the Admiralty later restored him because it valued the aggressive conduct the exercise had encouraged. The episode illustrates how institutional incentives and artificial exercise rulings could reward behavior that created serious peacetime risk.
Notable Point · 50:21-51:06
When exercises rewarded dangerous aggression
A recalled 1935 collision shows how exercise rulings and Admiralty incentives could push capital-ship commanders toward extreme aggression.