Harwich Force offered a wartime example that the Royal Navy sought to preserve through appointments and command relationships. Frequent rotations through Harwich suggest that routine basing also helped pass on its culture, although deliberate intent is an inference. William Sims's account of Admiral Bayly's protection of American destroyermen supplies a parallel example of building an elite force around a senior commander's support. Fisher likewise expected aggression, thought, and honest communication while protecting officers who met those standards. Rear admirals responsible for destroyers gave junior officers an advocate with standing alongside cruiser and fleet commanders. Complaints could then be judged on their merits instead of being settled by the complainant's greater rank.
Notable Point · 31:03-34:54
Harwich memory becomes an institutional system
Appointments and senior protection helped sustain destroyer initiative; frequent Harwich rotations suggest another way its wartime culture was passed on.