I do
>not know of specific occasions where their speed was a
>tactical or strategic advantage but it is a question
>worth pursuing.
I don't recall the specifics, but I do remember reading about a case in which a small French squadron--around half a dozen SOL--got to sea and a British squadron was sent after it. By the time news of the departure got to England and an equivalent force could be told off and ordered to pursue, the French, of course, had a head start of a week or more. The historian who related this incident remarked that it was a rather strange decision to include a 98 as the rear-admiral's flagship for what was intended to be a "flying squadron." It would take some time to find the particulars--the date of the incident, the compositions of the two squadrons, the writer who made the observation, and a citation of the source.
