The intended reporting chain ran from Evan-Thomas and Goodenough through Beatty to Jellicoe. Evan-Thomas eventually transmitted directly because information was not reliably moving through his senior commander. Goodenough likewise kept the commander-in-chief informed despite normally working closely with Beatty. Those workarounds supplied Jellicoe with essential contact information, but they also exposed a loss of confidence in the battlecruiser commander's staff. Multiple independent channels helped the Grand Fleet find the enemy while making it harder to assemble one coherent tactical picture from reports based on different positions and assumptions.
Notable Point · 15:58-21:10
Goodenough and Evan-Thomas bypass Beatty's reporting chain
Direct reports from Evan-Thomas and Goodenough helped Jellicoe but also exposed how confidence in Beatty's communications chain had broken down.