A Royal Navy blockade force off the French coast needed warning when enemy ships prepared to sail. Observation from outside a port could reveal only part of those preparations. Someone close to or inside the port could provide information unavailable to ships offshore. French-speaking observers made that approach practical, connecting human intelligence directly to the demands of blockade operations.
Notable Point · 26:20-27:16
Why a blockade fleet needed observers inside enemy ports
Blockade duty off France required information about preparations hidden from ships offshore, giving observers inside ports an operational role.