Invergordon became a bargaining crisis in which sailors demonstrated that the fleet depended on their labor. Tomkinson relayed that Cabinet was considering the complaints just as a few voices began threatening machinery damage and unauthorized departures. Those threats would have faced opposition from chiefs because damage would have changed the character of the controlled stoppage. The Admiralty then ordered the fleet back to its home ports, and Tomkinson allowed enough time for personnel with families ashore to make arrangements. By the evening of 16 September, ships that had refused work were sailing normally under orders, showing that the action had remained a bargaining instrument.
Notable Point · 1:38:18-1:40:40
Tomkinson and the return from Invergordon
The crisis resolves when Admiralty and government attention reaches the fleet, orders are issued, and the ships return to routine without turning the dispute into violence.