Why was no one in the court concerned about the lack of their Master of Ships and the royal navy?

[Stormland's Fury]

Here is what basically happened:

Jon Arryn dies.

Stannis retreats to Dragonstone where the bulk of the Royal Fleet is situated.

Robert travels North to appoint Ned his hand (probably needs a month or so)

They stay there for a bit.

They travel down to King's Landing again.

Ned acts as Hand while Robert is still alive.

All in all quite a substantial amount of time has passed.

Robert (and the council) is concerned that Viserys will cross the Narrow Sea with a Dothraki Army.

But wait, the Master of Ships shuts himself off from the rest of the realm with the only means to defend the realm from a naval attack from Essos, which is at that time the only danger anyone is expecting.

No one brought that up or the fact that they lack any fleet in the east? Don't they at least need a new Master of Ships to control the ships that remained at KL?

What would have happened if Viserys actually managed to board ships? Would Stannis just fight them on the sea on his own? Then what?

[Matoro]

Well, they didn't lack any fleet in the east. Dragonstone is east of KL, so the Royal Fleet was between Essos and Westeros in one of the best naval bases in the Narrow Sea. Anyway, Stannis was known to be a man who always does his duty, so it could be truted that if any kind of invasion happens, he'll just sink invasion fleet to the bottom of the ocean, just like he did to the Iron Fleet in Fair Isle.

And nobody exactly missed delightful Small Council meetings with Stannis. And if they did, Stannis could arrive to KL in a day. There was really no problem.

[Stormland's Fury]

But in that case they were just speculating and putting all their chances on a man who could be dead (poisoned like Jon Arryn) for all they knew. They have absolutely no input over the the proceedings or strategy for defending the realm.

Not everyone likes each other on the Small Council but they still have a job to do. Stannis is the only one who knew all the details of the fleet and so on, and it was made clear that no one can reach him. Everything that arrived at Dragonstone stayed at Dragonstone.

He sat there for a year in total. If I don't show up at my job without saying anything for a whole year they assume I quit. And if I took the company car with me they probably would have some objections.

[Light a wight tonight]

An attack from "Essos"? About the only hostilities to be expected would be pirate raids. Essos is a continent with various nations and city-states, most of which are trading partners with Westeros or so distant that they hardly interact at all. It's like Canada worrying about an attack from Europe.

[Stormland's Fury]

An attack from "Essos"? About the only hostilities to be expected would be pirate raids. Essos is a continent with various nations and city-states, most of which are trading partners with Westeros or so distant that they hardly interact at all. It's like Canada worrying about an attack from Europe.

The Targaryens...

Robert and some others where concerned about it, yet they never bring up that Stannis has broken off all communication. It doesn't matter if Viserys would have managed to do it or not, what matters is that people in Westeros saw it as a possibility.

And even then if Canda didn't have a reliable navy and they fear that the French or English assemble a fleet to take their territory back, then they should be concerned about it. Ignoring the problem doesn't help.

[Snows Queen]

An attack from "Essos"? About the only hostilities to be expected would be pirate raids. Essos is a continent with various nations and city-states, most of which are trading partners with Westeros or so distant that they hardly interact at all. It's like Canada worrying about an attack from Europe.

I think he meant Europe/ Essos being separate states, not 1 combined force to attack Canada. But I think Stormlands Fury was meaning Essos is where the attackers would come from, not the whole of Essos attacking. If I misunderstood either comments, please feel free to correct.

[HosteenOsteen]

I think that Stannis' absence was just being noticed.after all, Robert himself was absent from the court for the nog trip to Winterfell and back, then the tournament and the beginning of Stark-Lannister fighting distracted people...had Ned not been arrested Stannis' whereabouts would have been of more concern,

[Stormland's Fury]

I think he meant Europe/ Essos being separate states, not 1 combined force to attack Canada. But I think Stormlands Fury was meaning Essos is where the attackers would come from, not the whole of Essos attacking. If I misunderstood either comments, please feel free to correct.

I actually meant the looming threat of Viserys attacking from Essos, which Robert (and others) specifically mentions and fears. Yet no one brings up that Stannis and the fleet are not under their direct control anymore. (or at least they could wonder what he actually was doing)

The pirates are not even a threat because Stannis is recruiting them.

[Stormland's Fury]

I think that Stannis' absence was just being noticed.after all, Robert himself was absent from the court for the nog trip to Winterfell and back, then the tournament and the beginning of Stark-Lannister fighting distracted people...had Ned not been arrested Stannis' whereabouts would have been of more concern,

Although they know that he left KL after Jon Arryn's death (i.e. before Robert goes North as Stannis was pissed he wasn't appointed Hand) and they must have noticed that he isn't present in meetings for at least a month. I'm not sure if Stannis would skip meetings.