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written by new jersey

the full text is divided into four chapters, this is the third chapter

three. responsibilities of fleet commander: (take nelson as an example)

on may 16, 1803, vice admiral viscount nelson was appointed commander of the mediterranean fleet. on 18 may 1803, in spithead harbor, he hoisted his flag aboard the battleship hms victory. he arrived at gibraltar on 3 june and rendezvoused with his fleet near toulon on 8 july. from then on, until he left the mediterranean on may 6, 1805, to pursue the villeneuve fleet, he worked for the fleet all the time and was a well-deserved model worker.

as nelson himself said, his primary task was "to blockade the french fleet and annihilate them as they put to sea." therefore, the french fleet was his main focus during his command. nelson often patrolled the western basin of the mediterranean. he did not adopt the close-range blockade strategy adopted by the western fleet, locking the toulon fleet in the port. on the contrary, he preferred long-range blockade, placing his main fleet where the enemy could not see, allowing them to relax their vigilance and induce it went to sea and left reconnaissance ships to observe enemy movements and maintain contact with the main fleet. then "if the enemy goes to madras, let the ships follow the enemy, but do not lock them up, nor prevent them from going to sea. as long as they go out, we can get a great victory, and we will bring glory to the country"

nelson commanded a large fleet of more than 40 ships. the only ones he usually had direct command of were battleship fleets. cruisers plied the mediterranean, conducting reconnaissance, escorting merchant convoys, delivering orders, and sometimes transporting small shipments of supplies. nelson's battleships were also hanging around, sometimes anchoring in the bay of agincourt at la maddalena in sardinia to receive supplies and water.

to stay connected, nelson used the royal navy's rendezvous point model, which had been in practice for many years and had proven to be reliable. nelson selected a number of locations, each assigned a code name. after stipulating a rough time and place, both parties will round at the designated place. thus, nelson could leave orders to his captains, including details of his own future operations, and the captains could leave messages for nelson. for example: so, for example, in february 1804, captain donnelly's cruiser narcissus was sent to toulon on a reconnaissance mission to determine if the enemy was still in port, and then ordered to rejoin nelson at a new rendezvous point, the battleship the pair will also head to the rendezvous point at this time. nelson's ships rushed back and forth between various rendezvous points. in this way, the slower battleships and the small and agile cruisers maintained close contact.

nelson was also actively thinking about possible future tactics and communicating his views to his captain. he usually communicated his tactical ideas to his captain in writing.

nelson preferred to give instructions to his captains through informal letters rather than formal written orders. he once stated that "the tasks performed by a captain are very important, but if the captains themselves believe that the order is not suitable for the current situation, then he does not necessarily have to follow it completely." at the same time, he also believed that it was impossible for him to issue precise instructions when he was far away from the scene, which forced the captain to rely on his own sense of responsibility and ability to perform the mission. nelson often said to his captain, "don't worry, i agree with all your actions and am very satisfied." captains' adaptability may not always bring good results, but nelson is always willing to believe in his subordinates and forgive their mistakes.

management of the mediterranean fleet was under the responsibility of chief of fleet staff george murray. nelson's two secretaries also performed their respective duties: john scott was responsible for his correspondence and fleet orders. alexander scott, victory's chaplain, handled his external liaison and was responsible for the intelligence network along the mediterranean coast. even so, nelson still spends a lot of time dealing with paperwork. work usually starts after breakfast, around seven o'clock, and lasts until dinner at three o'clock in the afternoon. in a day, he usually dictates more than twenty orders, which are written down by his secretary and asked to sign. he would also hand-write ten or twelve personal letters.

nelson's number one task was to keep the ship in good fighting condition. nelson would discuss the condition of each ship with first sea lord thomas trowbridge, such as the condition of various rigging, the condition of the masts, and the extent of decay in the bottoms. the admiralty would regularly send a transport ship to bring needed supplies. in addition, he discussed with the admiralty the number, rotation and reinforcement of ships. nelson requested a transport ship from the admiralty to store spare parts. in this way, fleet ships do not have to enter the port and can perform temporary maintenance at the anchorage.

nelson was also required to escort large pairs of merchant ships. most of the time, a few spare cruisers were sent to perform these missions. sometimes, some battleships that needed to return home for maintenance accompanied the merchant fleet through the mediterranean. but like most commanders, nelson's cruisers also perform reconnaissance patrols, destroy enemy shipping, deliver letters, etc. the number of warships that can be used for escort missions is very small, so not all merchant fleets are can be escorted. these merchant ships often fell into the hands of the french and spanish. although the merchants were extremely dissatisfied, nelson, who was short of major generals, had nothing to do.

nelson attached great importance to food supplies, and he was personally responsible for the fleet's food work. nelson once sent the battleship hms magnificent to naples to buy food. however, naples merchants did not dare to sell fresh food to the british fleet for fear of angering the french army not far away. therefore, nelson asked the admiralty to set up special personnel to manage food rations. this works wonders. from february to july 1804, the mediterranean fleet received 1,627 cattle, 219 sheep and lambs, 70,416 gallons of wine, 30,326 gallons of brandy, 99 boxes of lemons, 21,300 oranges, more than 30,000 pounds of onions, and 913 cabbages. in 1804 and early 1805, supplies still maintained this high efficiency. nelson always insisted that his subordinates enjoy fresh food, sometimes at the expense of coercing neutral countries into trading with the fleet. nelson also often intervened in the hygiene issues of warships, allowing the crew to operate in a relatively clean environment. in addition, nelson also paid attention to the mental health of the crew. he allowed a certain level of entertainment activities, and music and other activities could be carried out on the ship. under his watchful eye, the health of nelson's fleet was unparalleled by either his royal navy colleagues or enemies. between 1803 and 1805, only 110 of the 6,500 men in the fleet died and 149 were hospitalized. during the operation in the west indies, only one person on the victory became ill. by comparison, in 1781, rodney's fleet operated in the west indies for a year, and the death toll was as high as 1,500 out of 12,000 men. nelson's love for his subordinates, whether they were officers or ordinary sailors, strengthened the fleet's centripetal force and morale, and also improved the fleet's combat effectiveness.

in addition, nelson would also assist the british ambassador in conducting diplomatic work with some mediterranean countries and coordinate relations with naples and ottoman turkey. of course, nelson was at home in naples affairs, which was inseparable from nelson's personal influence on the naples royal family.