When Navy Board responsibilities moved into the Admiralty, the Third Sea Lord accumulated the Controller, secretary, and storekeeping functions. The Keeper of the Storehouses could demand access wherever naval stores were held, even at a private shipyard and outside ordinary working hours. A reported Sunday inspection by Admiral Henderson shows that this was a practical power rather than an empty title. A First Sea Lord did not possess the same procurement and inspection authority merely by being the senior naval officer. These inherited offices created effective oversight while complicating a neat chain of command.
Notable Point · 31:13-35:41
How the Third Sea Lord inherited surprise-inspection power
Inherited Controller and storekeeping powers let the Third Sea Lord inspect naval stores and private contractors without advance notice.