The battle reinforced the value of accurate gunnery and a high rate of fire. Its larger doctrinal effect was to loosen the assumption that each friendly ship should simply match one enemy in a parallel line. British commanders increasingly sought to concentrate several ships against a limited part of the opposing formation. That local superiority could destroy one section before the rest of the enemy could respond effectively. The approach made force concentration, not line-breaking by itself, the enduring tactical lesson.
Chapter · 1:47:52-1:48:34
The deeper tactical legacy was local superiority
British thinking shifted from evenly matching an enemy line toward concentrating ships against one portion of it.