Could a new First Sea Lord replace the inherited staff?

Could a new First Sea Lord immediately replace the staff inherited from his predecessor?

Wholesale replacement would take time because officers needed other postings, replacements had to be found, and the office still had to function.

An incoming admiral could not dismiss officers from the service simply because he disliked them. Replacing an inherited staff required finding other postings for its members, appointing replacements and maintaining the work of the office throughout. That made an immediate wholesale change impractical. William May's ability to work under both Kerr and Fisher also shows how senior officers could bridge rival camps. Factionalism could still damage individual careers, but it did not divide every capable officer into an irreconcilable faction.