Tomkinson considered cancelling exercises as unrest spread through the Atlantic Fleet. After consulting flag officers, captains, and patrol officers, he continued because he was fairly confident his own ship would obey orders and hoped its example would calm resistance elsewhere. He required officers to investigate crew complaints and send him exemplary cases for a report to the Admiralty. Those cases could help naval leaders argue with the government about the cuts. He also warned London that he expected trouble in the fleet. By the morning of 15 September, officers anticipated a naval pay refusal, rather than a Soviet-style revolution.
Notable Point · 1:21:45-1:24:05
Tomkinson investigates complaints before testing the fleet
Before deciding whether to continue the exercises, Tomkinson sought concrete complaints from each ship and warned the Admiralty that resistance was likely.