to vice-admiral in December 1908. His new assignment involved commanding a squadron of four ships on a flag-waving cruise to South Africa departing in September 1908. This allowed him to fly his flag until February 1909, when he hauled it down and came ashore. During his final sea duty he had developed a gunnery routine based on simultaneous parallel firing of his ship's main armament centrally directed using the director-firing apparatus he had developed. When he came ashore the Admiralty indicated he would receive no further sea postings and that he would render greater service to his country by continuing his work on director-firing than going to sea. In his autobiography he made the comment, "this assurance appealed to my sense of humour, for I well knew that the Admiralty, as a body, were moving heaven and earth to prevent director firing being adopted." This was borne out by the fact that shortly after his departure from the Good Hope the director firing system Scott had installed was stripped out. Nevertheless, he set to in order to try to change this. He gained support from Sir John Jellicoe, at that time serving as a member of the Navy Board, who authorised that one ship, , should be fitted with the director system and work started in December 1910. Successful firing trials were conducted in March 1911 on the basis of which Jellicoe, by that time Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic Fleet, proposed that all ships should be so equipped. However, opposition came from the Admiralty and the Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet (who ironically flew his flag on HMS Neptune, the only ship in the Navy fitted with the apparatus). In late 1911 orders were given for a second ship, , to be fitted out. When Winston Churchill became First Lord of the Admiralty he directed that a head-to-head trial should be arranged between Thunderer and another similar ship not fitted with the director apparatus. After delays and obfuscation the trials eventually took place in November 1912. The result was that at a range of 9,000 yards Thunderer was found to have scored six times as many hits as . At the time, Orion was considered to be the best shooting ship in the navy. Subsequently, Churchill ordered that 29 Dreadnought ships be fitted with director-firing. However, on the outbreak of war in August 1914 work ceased after only eight ships