Why the Third Sea Lord shaped Royal Navy warships

Who actually controlled Royal Navy ship procurement?

The Third Sea Lord directed procurement in detail, while the First Sea Lord provided top-level approval.

The Third Sea Lord ran the Royal Navy department responsible for ship procurement. Although the First Sea Lord approved the broad programme, the technical and administrative detail passed through the Third Sea Lord's office. That gave the officeholder considerable room to shape the ships that emerged. The exchange is a useful warning against assigning every design choice to the most famous admiral at the top of the service.