ADMIRALTY CHANGES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2943, 1 December 1916, Page 6

ADMIRALTY CHANGES

I'm transfer of Admiral Jellicoe from, the command of the Grand Meet to the position of First Sea Lord may bo regarded as ono of the greatest naval events of the war. It is quite as essentia] to have the right man.at the head of tho Admiralty as it is to havo the right man at tho head- of tho War Office, and tho right man in each caso must be, under the changed conditions of warfare developed in tho present struggle, one who has had tho opportunity of gaining first-hand experience under modern conditions. Sib William Robertson was tajcen from tho field and placed at tho head of the War Office. Sir John Jellicoe has now been taken from the battle fleet, and brings air the wealth of experience ho has gathered in the past two years' operations in the North Sea to assist and guide those who, acting with him, will in future plan tho naval strategy and develop the- naval organisation of the British sea forces. One of tho strongest grounds of criticism against the Admiralty has been the fact that none of the Sea Lords had had_ the advantage of personal experience in modern naval warfare; and being men fairly well advanced in years, it was' urged, could not be expected to readily adjust themselves to tho rapidly changing needs of the situation. ■ How far this criticism may have been' warranted we, of course, cannot pretend to say, but there can be no douut that the presence of Admiral Sir John 'Jellicoe at the Admiralty as First Sea Lord removes any ground for reproach- of this nature' and should havo a beneficial effect. The London Times rather hints, at the possibility that ho may find his hands tied by the politicians. This does not seem likely. It would be a dangerous thing_ for tno politicians to interfere with a popular hero of Admiral Jellicoe's standing, fresh from the command of the fleet which has won the admiration of the world. Some ureasiness may be felt at tho loss which the fleet must sustain by tho removal of Admiral Jellicoe. His successor, Admiral Beatty, has caught the eye of the public rather as a dashing fighting captain than as the cool-headed, calculating, far-seeing, resourceful, naval strategist that one pictures as the commander of the great British Fleet. It would be a mistake, however, to . imagine that • Admiral Beatty is nothing more than the dashing sea fighter. On the contrary, the highest ..naval experts credit him with most of the qualities which go to make a great naval commander. The manner in which he handled the battle-cruiser squadron and out-manoeuvred tho Germans and held them at Jutland until Admiral Jellicoe arrived with the Grand Fleet has been quoted as one of the greatest achievements of the war. Wo may take it, therefore, that the changes will make for_ a strengthening of the naval position from the British point, of view, and possibly we shall witness a more aggressive policy in the North Sea.