And though some civilian heads of navies have shown great mental capacity, and after--say three years'-- incumbency have shown a comprehension of naval matters greater than might have been expected, none has made a record of performance like those of the naval ministers of Germany and Japan; or of Admiral Barham, as first lord of the admiralty, or Sir John Fisher as first sea lord, in England.
A navy is so evidently a machine that the expression "naval machine" has often been applied to it.

It is a machine that, both in peace and in war, must be handled by one man, no matter how many assistants he may have.

If a machine cannot be made to obey the will of one man, it is not one machine.

If two men are needed, at least two machines are to be operated; if three men are needed there are at least three machines, etc.

One fleet is handled by one man, called the commander-in-chief.