How often did Royal Navy destroyers try to take enemy ships in tow after being told not to?
Short answerAbout four cases are recalled from personal archival accounts across the two world wars; this is a recollection rather than a fleet-wide count.
NotesAlex Clarke recalls roughly four First and Second World War cases in which Royal Navy destroyers wanted to take enemy ships in tow despite being told not to, including an Italian example. These are incidents remembered from personal papers found in smaller archives, so the recollection does not establish how often this happened across the fleet. An amusing account of an abandoned tow proposal may be omitted from a book if no corroboration can be found. An important incident supported by only one account can still be used if that limitation is made explicit. With two or three supporting accounts, he would cite the best account and retain the others in the bibliography.