Texel illustrates the long development of naval professionalism. Both fleets gained and lost the weather gage, yet de Ruyter gained and held it more often because his force operated with greater coherence. Rupert's distributed command system depended on subordinates acting toward a common objective, but personal rivalry and coalition restrictions made that trust impossible. Allied command therefore could not turn its dispersed squadrons into a coordinated instrument, making the battle an instructive failure as well as a Dutch defensive success.
Notable Point · 40:16-42:30
Weather gage and naval professionalism
Control of the weather gage mattered, but Texel shows that a fleet gains little from positional advantage if its commander cannot direct dispersed squadrons.