Tufnell builds capacity before new ships can arrive

Tufnell's mission depended on capable Greek officers who were prepared to work with an outside adviser. After more than a decade of unsuccessful efforts to escape institutional stagnation, outside advice offered a way to undertake broader reform. His experience with British infrastructure improvements suited the immediate task of building capacity. War came too soon for a large construction programme, so docks, facilities and ammunition spaces mattered even while the fleet still lacked enough shells. Like installing a network inside a house, much of this preparation was difficult to see from outside. It gave the navy the means to expand rapidly during wartime.