John Drake

Hallo,

A message especially for Smiffy (but anyone else who's interested)

Dear Smiffy,

in your 11/7/26 review, of FLETCHER AND THE CONSTITUTION' you asked "how did he become an Admiral" and you wanted to know ... NOW!

And so: Fletcher was a magnificent seaman, navigator, gunner, and leader of men. He was also the James Bond of his time, constantly employed by governments on secret missions. All of which was to his vast credit.

BUT! He proclaimed throughout life that he never wanted to be a seaman at all, but wanted to go ashore for a career in trade. And given the chance he was exceedingly good at trade: he ended up a billionaire by our standards.

So he was a man who ran on his own rules, and would not be told what to do. Worse still - and for which much of the Royal Navy, never, never, ever forgave him - he sank a British ship using an explosive mine towed by a submarine (Yes, they had submarines in those days. Ask ChatGpt.). And that, in the eyes of the Navy ... Gasp! Horror! Gasp! ... was showing THE FRENCH how to defeat the Royal Navy!

(See 'Fletcher and the Mutineers' for full details of this submarine event.)

So his reputation in the Royal Navy of the 1800s was very up-and-down, shaky and wobbly indeed, and there were those who loved him and those who loathed him.

None the less between about 1710 and the 1860s, existing regulations said that any Royal Navy officer who made it to the rank of Post Captain, would certainly and inevitably become an admiral, providing he lived long enough. It was a simple matter of your 'seniority' which was the date you became a Post Captain; then once you became a Post Captain, you had only to wait until all those who were made Post Captain before you, died of old age or whatever. And then ... and then ... you were automatically promoted Admiral.

I repeat, you got promoted after hanging on 20, 30, 40 ??? years.

From the 1860s the Royal Navy began reforming the system, to get rid of the dry rot within it. So considering Fletcher's extremely mixed reputation, it is amazing that he achieved Admiral's rank by this means, which he did on June 24th (his birthday) in 1865 when he was 90 years old.

We can only assume that the influence of powerful persons, who did admire Fletcher, defeated both the reforms, and the influence of powerful persons who hated him. Also please note that he made it to the vital and indispensable rank of Post Captain, entirely by himself and entirely by merit.

And as regards the influence of the powerful; that's how the world worked in the 1860s ... and don't even dream that it's not like that now.

Is that OK, Smiffy?

All best, John Drake.