Jellicoe's tenure is difficult to date because some accounts identify Reginald Bacon as an intervening Third Sea Lord. The reconstruction here treats Bacon as an officer attached to the office and keeps Jellicoe in post until Charles Briggs succeeded him. The Third Sea Lord prepared construction options, advised the Board of Admiralty, and supervised the ships selected. Together with the Director of Naval Construction, he also had to approve their entry into service.
Chapter · 19:50-34:10
Jellicoe and the power of the Third Sea Lord
Jellicoe's tenure as Third Sea Lord shows how responsibility for design choices, construction oversight, and acceptance made the office unusually powerful.