(Note.—Lord Fisher had joined the Admiralty as First Sea Lord four days before this meeting.)
The First Sea Lord (Lord Fisher) presided at a Conference this day at the Admiralty.
Present:
- Second Sea Lord.
- Third Sea Lord.
- Additional Civil Lord.
- Parliamentary and Financial Secretary.
- Secretary.
- Naval Secretary to First Lord.
- Engineer-in-Chief.
- Assistant Director of Torpedoes and another representative of the Director of Naval Ordnance.
- Commodore (S) and Assistant.
- Naval Assistant to First Sea Lord.
- Director of Naval Construction and an Assistant.
- Superintendent of Contract Work.
- Superintending Electrical Engineer.
- Director of Dockyard Work.
- Director of Naval Contracts and an Assistant.
Lord Fisher explained to those present that this Conference had been summoned with the approval of Mr. Churchill, primarily with the object of expediting the delivery of 20 submarines which were to be at once commenced,
but in the second place a big further building programme for a special purpose had been decided on.
The question of placing orders for submarines had been under consideration for some time past. The First Lord, however, had assented to the cancellation of all existing papers on this subject, and a fresh start was to be made immediately on the lines of a special war routine. All red-tape methods—very proper in time of peace—were now to be abandoned, and everything must be entirely subordinated to rapidity of construction. It was desired to impress upon all present the necessity of avoiding “paper” work, and of proceeding in the manner indicated in the secret memorandum which would be circulated next day in regard to the matter. Arrangements would be made in due course to obtain additional vessels of other types in a similar manner.
Note.—After this, a meeting of all the shipbuilding firms of the United Kingdom took place at the Admiralty under the presidency of Lord Fisher, and the programme mentioned above in italics was parcelled out there and then.
Building Programme.
Meeting on November 3rd, 1914, four days after Lord Fisher became First Sea Lord.