Aerial intelligence met a weak reporting chain

The aircraft had produced useful intelligence, and Engadine attempted to relay it both toward Beatty and to Hugh Evan-Thomas's Fifth Battle Squadron. Evan-Thomas received the reports, while Beatty's record remains uncertain. That difference places the failure in human communications instead of aerial reconnaissance. Beatty's undersized staff included socially connected officers without the signals qualifications needed for an independent fleet command. The criticism is that a commander who places an unqualified officer in such a post helps create the resulting breakdown.