Unicorn's carriage of First Sea Lord Rhoderick McGrigor introduces a wider discussion of postwar Royal Navy leadership. McGrigor and later Casper John were strong advocates of carrier aviation, complicating any story in which the service immediately abandoned flight decks for submarines. Submariners later gained an institutional promotion advantage because the Perisher course and the need to explain an unfamiliar technical service sharpened their staff and communication skills. The surface fleet's weaker staff-course provision left some officers less prepared for promotion boards. Professional education could therefore influence which communities reached senior command and how they shaped force structure.
Notable Point · 1:00:41-1:02:20
Training pathways shape postwar carrier and submarine influence
A digression from Admiral Rhoderick McGrigor contrasts senior carrier advocacy with the professional advantages submarine officers gained from demanding courses.