Sustained spending on training helps explain British fighting power. The service's interpretation of Trafalgar credits Nelson and his captains alongside crews trained and drilled to carry out their orders. Skilled leadership depends on that ability to execute manoeuvres and fight the ships. Victorian and Edwardian concern with smart appearance includes cases in which it damaged fighting efficiency. Those cases are treated as criticised departures from the service's preferred standard. Routine practice and its funding help explain differences between fleets with superficially comparable ships.
Notable Point · 1:04:45-1:06:31
Training budgets, gunnery drill, and the memory of Trafalgar
The Royal Navy's willingness to spend on practice is connected to a service tradition that credits training alongside leadership for victory.