Bacon traces public expectations of modern naval war to accounts of Nelson's victories. The fleet's daily training remained out of sight, while its changing technology challenged even those who worked with it. Popular histories emphasized victories and minimized failures, leaving readers poorly prepared for the war that began in 1914. By the end of 1915, Germany's overseas navy had been destroyed or interned and nearly all its colonies conquered through sea power. Those results attracted less attention than the absence of another Trafalgar, and the public demanded that the German fleet be forced out of harbor.
Chapter · 55:39-59:23
Why British sea power in 1914-15 looked inactive to the public
Expectations of another Trafalgar obscured the destruction of Germany's overseas navy and the conquest of its colonies.