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Draft letter from WSC (Admiralty), to the Chancellor of the Exchequer [David Lloyd George], on the ship-building programme for 1912-13. [Typescript copy, with hand-written annotations by WSC].

Scope and Contents Letter from 1st Lord Stamfordham [Private Secretary to King George V, earlier Arthur Bigge], (York Cottage, Sandringham, Norfolk) to WSC, on the King's approval of the appointment of a new 1st Sea Lord and 2nd Sea Lord, [Prince Louis of Battenberg, later 1st Lord Milford Haven and Rear-Admiral Sir John Jellicoe), and his agreement to make the retiring 1st Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Francis Bridgeman, a GCB [Knight Grand Cross of the Bath]. Stamfordham also passes on the King's congratulations on...

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Admiralty memorandum on remarks by Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz [Head of the German Admiralty] on the German Navy Law and amendments to the British naval construction programme. [Typescript].

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Minute by WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], on the naval building programme and the policy of 60 per cent superiority in Dreadnoughts over the next strongest power. [Typescript].

Scope and Contents Letter from WSC [(Admiralty)], to J L Garvin [Editor of the Pall Mall Gazette and the Observer], on Admiral Lord Charles Beresford, regretting that it had not been possible to promote him to Admiral of the Fleet, as he had "injured his profession and disgraced himself too much". WSC also comments on Garvin's treatment of WSC's policy in the Pall Mall Gazette, gives details of the naval building programme and superiority over Germany and comments on the Conservative threat of using force in...

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Minute from WSC [(Admiralty)], to the Accountant-General of the Navy [Alfred Eyles], 3rd Sea Lord [Vice-Admiral Charles Briggs], Financial Secretary to the Admiralty [Thomas Macnamara], and Additional Civil Lord of the Admiralty [Sir Francis Hopwood, later 1st Lord Southborough], on the Naval Estimates for 1912 and 1913-14. [Carbon].

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Minute by WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], on implementation of a new system of refits. Noted to be circulated to the 1st Sea Lord [Admiral Sir Francis Bridgeman], 2nd Sea Lord [Prince Louis of Battenberg, later 1st Lord Milford Haven], 3rd Sea Lord [Vice-Admiral Charles Briggs], Additional Civil Lord of the Admiralty [Sir Francis Hopwood, later 1st Lord Southborough], Director of Naval Equipment [Captain Arthur Waymouth] and the Director of Dockyards [Sir James Marshall]. [Carbon].

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Minute from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], to the 1st Sea Lord [Admiral Sir Francis Bridgeman], 2nd Sea Lord [Prince Louis of Battenberg, later 1st Lord Milford Haven] and 3rd Sea Lord [Vice-Admiral Charles Briggs], and the Chief of Staff, Admiralty [? Sir Henry Jackson], on the protection of Wireless Rooms in the ships of the First Fleet. WSC asks how many were unprotected, and if it were true that this defect existed in almost all battleships except the most modern ones. [Carbon].

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Minute from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to the 3rd Sea Lord [Vice-Admiral Charles Briggs] and the Director of Naval Ordnance [Rear-Admiral Frederick Tudor, earlier Frederick Jones], on reports of faults with the cordite hoists of HMS Natal, asking if it was true that she could not fire 30 rounds quickly from any guns because the little rollers in the cordite hoists were broken off or jammed. [Carbon].

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Letter from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to Robert Borden [Prime Minister of Canada] on the necessity for encouragement of the shipbuilding industry in Canada, particularly the construction of warships in Canadian shipyards.

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Minute from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to the 3rd Sea Lord [? Rear-Admiral Archibald Moore] on the increase in spending on ammunition in the Naval Estimates. [Carbon].

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Minute from Rear-Admiral Alexander Bethell, Director of Naval Intelligence, to WSC, on the naval construction programme, 1912-1919, necessary to maintain Britain's 60 per cent superiority over the German navy. [Carbon].

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Minute by WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to [the Chancellor of the Exchequer, David Lloyd George] forecasting the Naval Estimates for 1913-14.

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Minute by WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to the 1st Sea Lord [Prince Louis of Battenberg, later 1st Lord Milford Haven], 2nd Sea Lord [Admiral Sir John Jellicoe], 3rd Sea Lord [? Rear-Admiral Archibald Moore] and Chief of Staff, Admiralty [Sir Henry Jackson], forecasting the Naval Estimates for 1913-14. [Carbon].

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Letter from Admiral of the Fleet 1st Lord Fisher to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], criticising the Admiralty's shipbuilding programme for failing to match Germany: Fisher advocates lightly armoured battle cruisers with 15 inch guns and also submarines. Fisher also mentions the harm done by Admiral Lord Charles Beresford and his "scare revelations" in Germany and the Navy's oil supply. [Typescript copy at CHAR 13/16/1-3].

Scope and Contents Letter from Admiral of the Fleet 1st Lord Fisher to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] offering congratulations on his "splendid memorandum", which was "Napoleonic in its audacity and Cromwellian in its thoroughness". Fisher advises WSC not to spend money on major repairs to ships, as they went out of date so quickly, but to build new; he states that he once told the German Naval Attache that he could arrange for him to steal plans for ships more than a year old, and alleges that the Attache...

Scope and Contents Letter from Admiral of the Fleet 1st Lord Fisher to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] on warship design, criticising proposals from Sir William White [former Director of Naval Construction] for small battleships: Fisher states that "Size gives Safety", and that size also shortened the battle line, increasing the power of gun concentration. Fisher adds that he had been invited to meet Andrew Bonar Law [Leader of the Conservative Party], and that the Conservative opposition were very confident...

Scope and Contents Letter from Admiral of the Fleet 1st Lord Fisher to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] on warship design and construction, advocating the use of the three classes: the "Super Lion" [Battle Cruiser], the "Super Swift" [Scout] and the "Super Submarine", stating that aviation had knocked out all intermediate types. Fisher also criticises Arthur Lee, [former Civil Lord of the Admiralty], "a sneak of the lowest type", and Sir George Armstrong "a Royal pimp". [See CHAR 13/16/9-12 for typescript...

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Notes and aphorisms by Admiral of the Fleet 1st Lord Fisher on subjects including ship design, the Marconi wireless system, ship armour and gun size, the "Super-Swift" and "Super-Active" classes, and submarines. [See CHAR 13/16/13-17 for typescript copies].

Scope and Contents Letter from Admiral of the Fleet 1st Lord Fisher to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] on anti-British sentiments in Germany, stating that his source of information was much better than "anything the Foreign Office gets". Fisher presses WSC to adopt the "two keels to one" standard over the German navy, enclosing a letter from Rear-Admiral Sir Sidney Eardley-Wilmot about the "Big Gun" and the need to develop a 16 inch gun following the production of 14 and 15 inch guns in Germany and the...

Scope and Contents Letter from Admiral of the Fleet 1st Lord Fisher to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] with congratulations on his speech [to the Clyde Navigation Trustees, 9 February] on the Navy in Glasgow [Scotland]; Fisher comments on warship design and construction, advising strongly against announcing building programmes two years ahead, and building ships known to be obsolete; includes press cuttings from the Times on ship design and extract from the Fleet showing Vice-Admiral Sir John Jellicoe,...

Scope and Contents Letter from Admiral of the Fleet 1st Lord Fisher [Chairman, Royal Commission on Oil Fuel], to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] on the naval construction programme, particularly urging the building of big submarines, and the re-appointment of Captain Sydney Hall as Commander of the Submarine Service. Fisher also sends a "secret and private note" on the Home Fleet, which was being "worked to death": he states that it was necessary to have some relaxation, and suggests that ships be sent to...

Scope and Contents Letter from Admiral of the Fleet 1st Lord Fisher (Hotel Excelsior, Naples [Italy]) to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] on subjects including: relations with Germany; praising WSC's speech in Glasgow [Scotland] on Naval Defence [to the Clyde Navigation Trustees, 9 February]; criticising the visit by 1st Lord Haldane [Secretary of State for War] to Germany; warship design and construction, particularly of the "Super-Swift" and "Super-Active" classes; the importance of aircraft and submarines;...

Scope and Contents Letter from Admiral of the Fleet 1st Lord Fisher, (Hotel Excelsior, Naples [Italy]), to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] criticising him for appointments of Admiral Sir Hedworth Meux [earlier Hedworth Lambton], [as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth], Admiral Sir Berkeley Milne [as Commander-in- Chief, Mediterranean], and Admiral Sir Reginald Custance. Fisher states that WSC had betrayed the Royal Navy with these three appointments, that Milne was unfitted to be Senior Admiral afloat, and...

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Letter from Engineer Lieutenant Charles Hawkes, Joint Secretary, Royal Commission on Fuel and Engines, to Admiral of the Fleet 1st Lord Fisher, enclosing a report on a meeting with William Reavell, on the manufacture of internal combustion engines in Europe. [See CHAR 13/16/79-83 for typescript copy].