On Wednesday the Admiralty published the despatches describing Sir Doveton
Sturdee's action off the Falklands and Sir David Beatty's action in the North Sea. The facts are already well known, but we must mention one point. Admiral Beatty emphasizes the splendid work of the engineer staffs. Both the New Zealand' and the 'Indomitable' greatly exceeded their normal speed. It was already notorious that the ships, especially the 'Kent,' in the Falklands action exceeded their normal speed. Now that the war has proved that speed is more important than perhaps even the speed school of tacticians had imagined it to be, it is most satisfactory to know that the engineer staffs have all the skill and enthusiasm necessary for the great strain placed upon them. Every day they are at sea they must be adding to their superiority over the German engineers who arc attending to silent engines in still harbours.
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