Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Topic

James Somerville

Also searchable as Admiral James Somerville, Admiral Somerville.

Related time notes

  1. Bruships 263: Alternate History & Naval History Questions Answered Live...
    21:48Somerville and command of an Azur Lane coalitionQ&A
  2. What happens if WWII took place as scheduled... after 1942? (Patreon)
    3:16:43Command tenure shapes who leads a Pacific-first coalitionNotable Point
  3. Britain's Cold War Destroyers: Logically Building for the War they didn't Fight...
    5:28Destroyer flotillas gave future admirals early command experienceNotable Point
  4. What if Winston Churchill doesn't pause Carriers, Capital Ships & Cruisers in 1939? Patreon Live
    1:42:07A victorious Tovey could take the fleet to the Far EastNotable Point
  5. Why did Germany & Italy declare war on the USA? & What happens if they don’t?
    1:46:15The Mediterranean Fleet reinforces the Far EastChapter
  6. Historiophon 2025: part 2 of 9 - Friends of HMCS Haida
    4:48:31The Royal Navy's shift toward task groupsNotable Point
  7. Bruships 218: New Books! British Telecom is a terrible ISP! Naval History Questions Answered Live...
    1:59:20Choosing one admiral for every flag postQ&A
  8. Bruships 208: What if Naval History Questions Answered Live...
    1:27:40Warspite and Somerville at Savo IslandQ&A
  9. Bruships 208: What if Naval History Questions Answered Live...
    1:29:19Who commands at Savo when Warspite brings Somerville?Q&A
  10. Bruships 205: Naval History Questions Answered Live...
    5:38:49Prewar admirals suited to modern naviesQ&A
  11. Bruships 190: Naval History Questions Answered Live...
    3:54:55Whether the Royal Navy will reuse the name HMS HoodQ&A
  12. Dalrymple Hamilton: The Captain of HMS Rodney who believed she could be a destroyer
    0:00Reconstructing Dalrymple-Hamilton's elusive careerChapter
  13. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    0:00Somerville's command career began with communicationsChapter
  14. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    5:42Early aptitude for clear, concise messagesChapter
  15. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    8:38Bickford and Keppel made communications a tool of crisis managementChapter
  16. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    17:04TB 95 gave Somerville an unusually early commandNotable Point
  17. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    20:07Monitoring Russia's fleet during the Russo-Japanese WarNotable Point
  18. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    21:03China Station mentors broadened Somerville's professional formationNotable Point
  19. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    23:31HMS Vernon turned aptitude into wireless expertiseChapter
  20. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    29:22Wireless specialists filled a gap in the prewar naval staffNotable Point
  21. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    30:48Gallipoli showed why admirals valued Somerville's communicationsChapter
  22. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    34:27Flagship service led to wartime lessons at the Signal SchoolChapter
  23. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    39:55Ajax and the Admiralty turned technical skill into institutional authorityChapter
  24. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    43:32Deputy Director of Signals carried authority beyond Somerville's rankChapter
  25. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    45:14A communications officer learns command from the insideChapter
  26. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    48:12From a torpedo boat to flag captain of HMS BenbowChapter
  27. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    50:38A squadron flag captain also served as chief of staffChapter
  28. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    54:10Designing interwar signals for night fightingChapter
  29. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    57:16Fleet exercises tested Somerville's communications systemChapter
  30. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    1:01:07Teaching communications across Britain's armed forcesChapter
  31. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    1:03:31Rebuilding HMS Norfolk after the Invergordon MutinyChapter
  32. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    1:08:49Why a private ship command mattered to a Royal Navy captainNotable Point
  33. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    1:10:27John Kelly made leadership Somerville's final lessonChapter
  34. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    1:15:15Somerville learned high command by carrying information upwardChapter
  35. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    1:17:50The seamen's welfare scheme turned leadership into personnel policyNotable Point
  36. Admiral James Somerville: Communicating a Command Apprenticeship
    1:18:38Recognizing communications officers behind high commandNotable Point
  37. Leadership Alive: What happens if Adm R. Henderson & Adm W. Fisher Live through WWII?
    13:47A prewar health crisis stripped away senior naval leadershipChapter
  38. Leadership Alive: What happens if Adm R. Henderson & Adm W. Fisher Live through WWII?
    24:53Where Henderson might have served after leaving the AdmiraltyChapter
  39. Leadership Alive: What happens if Adm R. Henderson & Adm W. Fisher Live through WWII?
    1:28:00Henderson at Force H changes diplomacy as well as operationsNotable Point
  40. The Leadership Factor: The Battle of the Barents Sea
    22:07Senior-officer losses disrupted naval command continuityNotable Point
  41. Bruships 178: Naval History or Exercise
    2:01:45Why Somerville and Harwood receive unfair wartime judgmentsQ&A
  42. Prof Bennet & Dr C Discuss Naval Culture: does it exist & whether it matters? #2Historians ep 4
    1:11:27Beatty, Somerville, and the cost of choosing staff by connectionNotable Point
  43. V.Adm Beatty is sent to Command the Mediterranean Battle Cruisers in 1914... Patreon 105
    1:58:04A commander's staff must compensate for their weaknessesChapter
  44. Bruships Gothenborg style...
    51:44If Force Z survived, it could anchor an Allied carrier forceQ&A
  45. Scuttlebutt 2: H Class Battleships, Japanese Carrier Aircraft Design and lots more
    51:27A split German sortie against Force H and the Home FleetQ&A
  46. Imperial Star Destroyers if designed by the World's Major Navys in 1938
    21:07Warspite as the Royal Navy's enduring capital shipNotable Point
  47. HMS Revenge(1915): the Reliable Pikeman of the Royal Navys Battle Line!
    1:17:25Revenge anchors Eastern Fleet Force BChapter
  48. The American Carrier Raids of 1942: Wresting Control of the Pace of War from the Japanese
    55:39Frank Jack Fletcher learns carrier warfare on the jobChapter
  49. Bruships 135: Japan again... Can I get through 12 books this time
    1:28:28Saratoga gives Somerville a credible dawn follow-upQ&A
  50. Naval Historian Reacts to Aircraft Carriers the Debate Part 2 of 2
    1:08:31Operation C and the missed night strikeChapter
  51. Naval Historian Reacts to Aircraft Carriers the Debate Part 2 of 2
    1:21:28Risking a carrier for total victory at CreteNotable Point
  52. Naval Historian Reacts to Aircraft Carriers the Debate: Part 1 of 2
    47:23Operation C tested an improvised Eastern FleetChapter
  53. Naval Historian Reacts to Aircraft Carriers the Debate: Part 1 of 2
    54:18Long command changed how officers used doctrineChapter
  54. Naval Historian Reacts to Aircraft Carriers the Debate: Part 1 of 2
    1:00:22Fame narrowed the Eastern Fleet command choiceChapter
  55. Naval Historian Reacts to Aircraft Carriers the Debate: Part 1 of 2
    1:29:28Royal Navy command culture rewarded attackChapter
  56. Naval Historian Reacts to Aircraft Carriers the Debate: Part 1 of 2
    1:35:13A defensible decision could still end an active commandNotable Point
  57. WWII if Norway Wins & Operation Weserübung Fails...
    1:27:13A major Far Eastern fleet requires senior combined commandNotable Point
  58. Patreon 87: Norway Stands! WWII if Norway repels the German invasion...
    2:24:58Somerville commands a fleet rather than a detachmentNotable Point
  59. Bruships 123: Naval History Questions and Books on Strategy & Tactics
    2:36:44Why Somerville's force damaged Mers-el-Kebir so quicklyQ&A
  60. Bruships: Naval History Questions answered till the Bru runs out!
    2:22:54Why some admirals belonged at sea and others ashoreQ&A
  61. Memoirs as Historical Sources
    18:39Compare memoirs with private correspondenceChapter
  62. Memoirs as Historical Sources
    21:58Read Somerville's letter as a map of wartime commandNotable Point
  63. Memoirs as Historical Sources
    38:17Treat relationships as part of corroborationNotable Point
  64. Lexington & Saratoga Carrier Conception: Key Ship Series 3, Ships 10 &11
    30:52Saratoga's combat career and survivalNotable Point
  65. HMS Warspite: Key Ships Series 3, Ship 3
    6:31Modernization turns Warspite into an interwar flagshipNotable Point
  66. Bruships 112: Julian Corbett
    22:18Admiral King's respect for SomervilleQ&A
  67. HMS Dreadnought, but built around the RN's favourite battleship guns...
    1:59:51Somerville's surprise-strike gamble during Operation CNotable Point
  68. Bruships 88: Way of War
    2:45:20Somerville watches the Bismarck chase unfoldChapter
  69. Patreon 62: What If The French Navy in 1940 Fought On?
    2:34:27Cunningham and Somerville become available in the eastNotable Point
  70. Questions & Answers on Naval History till the Bru Runs Out 2
    48:42Ranking Royal Navy admirals of World War IIQ&A
  71. Questions & Answers on Naval History till the Bru Runs Out
    1:25:38Could different command have changed the Indian Ocean raid?Q&A
  72. Five Weaknesses of Allied/Axis/Minor Navies in 1941 & 1942; Response to some Comments
    1:02:58How Phillips's loss weakened Far Eastern commandQ&A
  73. Bruships 84: Science Fiction Strikes Again
    1:42:09Mers-el-Kebir and the problem of appearing strong without becoming another enemyNotable Point
  74. Bruships 84: Science Fiction Strikes Again
    1:47:24Does the restraint comparison concern Mers-el-Kebir or Alexandria?Q&A
  75. Major Allied Navies of WWII: Five Problems and How to Fix them January 1942
    10:11Global commands outnumbered trusted British admiralsChapter
  76. Major Allied Navies of WWII: Five Problems and How to Fix them January 1941
    8:31Somerville, Churchill, and command confidenceNotable Point
  77. Patron 49: Admiral Kimmel: A Failure of Leadership? (Live)
    1:52:17Which British admiral could take Kimmel's command?Q&A
  78. Siege of Corfu (1798–1799): 223 yrs ago today
    1:35:36How navies persuaded reluctant admirals to returnQ&A
  79. Bruships: A Special - Questions/What ifs till the Bru runs out? (9)
    1:57:51A surviving Force Z becomes the core of an eastern battle groupQ&A
  80. Patreon 39:What if Courageous and Glorious had survived?
    3:07:50A Far East command built around Keyes and SomervilleQ&A
  81. Battle of Trafalgar (216yrs Ago to the Day)
    2:50:36Beatty's choice between Seymour and SomervilleNotable Point
  82. Patreon 32: Japanese heavy cruisers of the 1920s & 1930s, were they worth it?
    2:13:39Operation C as a bounded carrier-warfare counterfactualNotable Point
  83. A Book or Two to Review (28): Jutland - double book time
    16:59The signals officer as a force-wide safeguardNotable Point
  84. Bruships 55: New Books
    4:59:16British and Japanese reasons for night fightingNotable Point
  85. Churchill's Iniatives (WWII); Long patrol p1/3 - Altmark Incident
    4:23Senior-officer scarcity and overworkNotable Point
  86. Bruships 46: Accounts of Naval War
    11:48Why Lord Cork is blamed for the loss of HMS GloriousNotable Point
  87. Bruships 46: Accounts of Naval War
    2:34:22Somerville and Noble in Ernest King's Royal Navy relationshipsQ&A
  88. The Battle of the Saintes (1782): 239yrs ago... Today!
    2:14:02The Somerville Papers preserve private and official command recordsNotable Point
  89. Four Random Books Episode 32: Destroyer Challenge (Live)
    7:22Convoy priorities and deception in Operation HalberdNotable Point
  90. Lend Lease Long Patrol: P1/5 WW2 prior to Lend Lease
    41:57The Somerville court-martial threat exposed Royal Navy command cultureNotable Point
  91. Bruships 35: Personal Wars + a New Book from Pen & Sword
    2:30:12Cork and Orrery's investigations cost the Royal Navy usable officersNotable Point
  92. Bruships30: Nine Transactions of the Institute of Naval Architects(Including 1939) & Three New Books
    3:11:22Goodall's working relationships with Pound, Somerville, and KeyesQ&A
  93. Four Random Books 5: Destroyers
    13:15Mediterranean operations and the limits of early naval radarNotable Point
  94. Patreon Video 4: Tsingtao 1939 Goes Hot...
    2:08:17How a 1939 Pacific war could accelerate naval radarNotable Point
  95. Tsingtao 1939: WWII but in January & against Japan - P5b Introduction to Patreon Video 4
    10:34Rearming reserve cruisers for the Pacific emergencyNotable Point
  96. Patreon Video 2: Royal Navy Operations in the Indian Ocean 1941-43
    47:39Somerville's intended answer: evade by day and strike at nightNotable Point
  97. Patreon Video 2: Royal Navy Operations in the Indian Ocean 1941-43
    51:37Radar reconnaissance let Somerville track an enemy that could not find himNotable Point
  98. Patreon Video 2: Royal Navy Operations in the Indian Ocean 1941-43
    1:04:26Intelligence gave Somerville warning, not certaintyQ&A
  99. Patreon Video 2: Royal Navy Operations in the Indian Ocean 1941-43
    2:22:45Somerville's experience and exhaustion during Operation CQ&A
  100. Patreon Video 2: Royal Navy Operations in the Indian Ocean 1941-43
    2:29:15How Mers-el-Kebir added to Somerville's command burdenQ&A
  101. Patreon Video 2: Royal Navy Operations in the Indian Ocean 1941-43
    2:49:13Why Somerville going ashore at Mers-el-Kebir might have backfiredQ&A
  102. Patreon Video 2: Royal Navy Operations in the Indian Ocean 1941-43
    3:09:47Would Somerville have used Force Z differently?Q&A
  103. An Introduction to the Royal Navy in the Indian Ocean 1941-3 (Patreon Video 2)
    48:49Somerville's overwork encouraged reactive commandNotable Point
  104. An Introduction to “The Battle of Malaya & Force Z” – Part 1: What Happened?
    35:00Holding Singapore changes the Eastern Fleet questionNotable Point
  105. An Introduction to Admiral Somerville & Force H – Part 1 Admiral Somerville
    10:14Somerville's early life and entry into the Royal NavyChapter
  106. An Introduction to Admiral Somerville & Force H – Part 1 Admiral Somerville
    15:17A communications specialist shaped by flagship serviceNotable Point
  107. An Introduction to Admiral Somerville & Force H – Part 1 Admiral Somerville
    18:40From battleship command to imperial defence planningChapter
  108. An Introduction to Admiral Somerville & Force H – Part 1 Admiral Somerville
    19:02Somerville's uneasy fit with destroyer commandNotable Point
  109. An Introduction to Admiral Somerville & Force H – Part 1 Admiral Somerville
    25:02Radar expertise and the return to wartime serviceChapter
  110. An Introduction to Admiral Somerville & Force H – Part 1 Admiral Somerville
    26:07Taking command of Force H after France's collapseChapter
  111. An Introduction to Admiral Somerville & Force H – Part 1 Admiral Somerville
    27:53Consensus command versus small-ship ruthlessnessNotable Point
  112. An Introduction to Admiral Somerville & Force H – Part 1 Admiral Somerville
    29:32Eastern Fleet command after Operation CNotable Point
  113. An Introduction to Admiral Somerville & Force H – Part 1 Admiral Somerville
    31:00The Washington mission behind British Pacific cooperationNotable Point
  114. Introduction to Admirals, Engineers & Historians Part 1
    9:34James Somerville's aggression and Indian Ocean judgmentChapter
  115. Bru Ships Episode 2a: Book Reviews/Q&A
    52:25Mers-el-Kebir as a necessary but corrosive missionQ&A
  116. Aircraft Carriers the Debate - Dr Alex Clarke vs Armoured Carrier's Jamie
    24:14Operation C and Somerville's missed night battleChapter
  117. Aircraft Carriers the Debate - Dr Alex Clarke vs Armoured Carrier's Jamie
    29:27How command strain shaped Somerville's choicesNotable Point
  118. Aircraft Carriers the Debate - Dr Alex Clarke vs Armoured Carrier's Jamie
    42:17How conflicting reports spoiled Somerville's night attackNotable Point
  119. Aircraft Carriers the Debate - Dr Alex Clarke vs Armoured Carrier's Jamie
    47:40Why Operation C became a test of attack cultureNotable Point
  120. Aircraft Carriers the Debate - Dr Alex Clarke vs Armoured Carrier's Jamie
    1:34:17Why does Operation C receive less attention?Q&A