Rigid fighting instructions and the Western Squadron

The reading explains how permanent fighting instructions made departure from the line of battle professionally dangerous unless an admiral won decisively. Fifteen line actions between 1692 and 1782 produced no captured or sunk enemy ships, while British clear-cut victories came from chase battles. The indecisive Battle of Toulon illustrates how tactical rigidity could leave wider strategic problems unresolved. Yet strategic disposition still mattered: the Western Squadron covered the Channel, protected trade, helped prevent invasion and reinforcement, and blockaded Brest. Its position also enabled the Cape Finisterre victories and pressure on French colonies and commerce even when formal fleet tactics remained sterile.