Can I control my fleet mid-battle?

Solution 1:

No. Once you set the formation and let the battle begin, its hands off at that point. The only thing you can do is to watch and see what is effective and where your weak spots are so you can prepare better should you fail.

If you need help with your ships making poor decisions in battle, try messing with the orders pre battle. Setting some orders such as vulture will allow your bigger ships to prioritize dying ships within firing range, for instance.

You can also set up formations and force your ships to remain in formation so the faster ones don't run ahead and get chewed up.

Solution 2:

With a new update, you can now take control in the field but can only change orders. You still do not have direct control.