Rodney sometimes mistook useful political connections for power of his own. Patrons listened while his proposals served their interests, but he could not command political outcomes in the way he commanded a fleet. At sea, a rear admiral operating beyond rapid communication had enormous discretion within the Articles of War. The difference helps explain Rodney's confidence and his repeated misjudgments when naval authority met metropolitan politics.
Notable Point · 1:25:14-1:28:06
Connections at home and near-absolute authority at sea
Rodney's career exposes the difference between influence borrowed from political patrons and the sweeping independent authority exercised by a deployed admiral.