Transformation and Technology in the Fisher Era: the Impact of the Communications Revolution 1

Admiral Sir John Fisher became First Sea Lord in October 1904. ² Over the next five years he introduced reforms that touched nearly every aspect of British naval policy. Historians have generally agreed that the Fisher administration ‘revolutionized’ the navy; though what exactly this revolution entailed has been a source of considerable misunderstanding. ³ The traditional interpretation, as codified by Arthur Marder in books published in 1940 and 1961, held that Fisher's reforms, collectively, constituted a ‘revolution’. ⁴ According to this view, Fisher's objective was to contain the threat posed by an expanding German battle-fleet. ⁵ The Admiralty thus ‘recalled the legions’ from the outer marches of the empire to ensure Britain's continued naval supremacy in home waters, thereby abandoning her pretensions to worldwide naval supremacy. Fisher is also credited as having been the chief proponent of the ‘revolutionary’ dreadnought-type battleship, which transformed capital ship design through the exploitation of new technology to gain significant increases in speed and firepower at relatively little cost. ⁶