Why later naval histories underuse professional transactions

Are Transactions papers used as sources in naval-history publications as often as they should be?

No. Later authors often fail to consult the relevant Transactions papers even when those professional discussions bear directly on the design being described.

Transactions papers are used less often in naval-history publications than their relevance warrants. Some accounts of ship design omit the professional papers that address the same subjects. Those omissions limit engagement with contemporary technical arguments. The original papers and their discussions deserve consideration alongside later histories.