Where the worst naval leadership failures occur

What is the biggest example of leadership failure in a navy?

There are many, but strategic-level failures are often worst; the defense of the defective Mark 14 torpedo system is a particularly strong example.

The suggested failures concentrate on senior decision-making, where damaging assumptions can persist despite practical experience at sea. CSS Arkansas provides one example, with Isaac Brown singled out as a comparatively capable commander amid poor leadership. The defense of the Mark 14 torpedo and Mark 6 exploder is another example of officers sustaining a harmful institutional position. A single catastrophic judgment differs from a repeated pattern of mediocre decisions, while a competent administrator can still make poor choices under operational pressure. Clarke also suspects that Prince Carl of Sweden's naval failures served dynastic interests, citing his different performance when his brother was present and his eventual acquisition of the crown. That is a suspicion about motive, not a demonstrated explanation of those defeats.