Hornby did not ask London for an indiscriminately large fleet when war appeared possible. He requested a particular rear admiral as second-in-command and only a few additional battleships. The chosen subordinate mattered because Hornby wanted someone he trusted to handle part of the force if the crisis expanded. The request shows that command depth and confidence between senior officers contributed to the credibility of an ironclad fleet demonstration.
Notable Point · 6:50-7:37
Hornby asks for command depth, not a mass reinforcement
Hornby's reinforcement request shows that effective crisis command depended on trusted leadership as well as battleship numbers.