Fisher's shocking Hague language reads as coercive deterrent rhetoric rather than literal advocacy of atrocities. His record in earlier wars did not include the crimes he described in deliberately lurid terms. The method combined a very large naval 'stick' with loud warnings about the consequences of forcing Britain to use it. Fisher's preferred outcome was peace secured by a fleet so powerful, ready, and publicly formidable that opponents would choose not to test it.
Chapter · 1:40:34-1:44:15
Fisher's deterrence through overwhelming naval power
Fisher's deliberately harsh rhetoric at The Hague expressed his belief that a visibly supreme navy could prevent war by making its consequences unmistakable.