Fisher's departure from the Admiralty did nothing to slow the naval race. On both sides of the North Sea dreadnoughts and battle cruisers continued to be built in ever increasing sizes and numbers. When Fisher left office in January 1910, Britain had four dreadnoughts completed, three more due for trials and another six laid down; she had five new cruisers laid down in addition to the 3 already finished. This made a total of 21 capital ships undertaken in little more than 5 years a phenomena rate never before attempted.
In the same month, Germany had four dreadnoughts due for trials, nine laid down and three cruisers under construction for 16 capital ships undertaken in 4 years. In the coming four years Britain would complete ten more dreadnoughts and another battlecruiser. Germany would strain to keep pace with four additional dreadnoughts and one battle cruiser.
By the summer of 1914, the British Grand Fleet based at Scapa Flow had 20 dreadnoughts and 4 battlecruisers, supported by 8 pre-dreadnoughts and 42 destroyers. Across the shallow stormy water separating her from Britain, the German High Seas Fleet, at Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea coast, had 13 dreadnoughts, 3 battlecruisers and 88 destroyers. Together the two fleets had some 560 guns that fired shells weighing as much as 3/4 ton a distance of some 10 miles.
Fisher was a visionary who had initiated the biggest change in seapower since gunpowder was introduced. And it had taken less than a decade. Never to command a fleet in the great battle with the Germans he saw coming, he nonetheless left behind a legacy that was to last for over half a century -- a restored and revitalized Royal Navy and a type of warship to ever be known as "dreadnought."
The World War II German pocket battleship Bismark
More Jacky Fisher
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Jacky Fisher: Introduction
Jacky Fisher: "Like a Young Elephant"
Jacky Fisher: Dreadnought
Jacky Fisher: German Reaction
Jacky Fisher: Epilogue
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© Copyright 1996 by David W. Tschanz.
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