Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 55:06-55:57

Did Fisher shape the Royal Navy of World War II?

Fisher influenced later naval development only indirectly. Reginald Henderson shaped the more explicit two-tier fleet inherited by the Second World War.

Convoy EscortFleet PresenceForce StructureJohn FisherReginald Henderson
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Question

Did Fisher help shape the Royal Navy that entered the Second World War?

Short answer

Only to a limited extent. Reginald Henderson's two-tier battle-and-presence fleet was more influential.

Notes

Fisher receives limited credit for the 1939 fleet. Reginald Henderson is identified as the more important source of a deliberately two-tier system. One part supplied the battle fleet, while the other used ships designed for peacetime presence and convoy escort. That division addressed the global responsibilities Fisher's more concentrated programme struggled to finance.