Bayly and Sims fed practical destroyer lessons into Clemson design

Bayly regularly visited destroyers at sea and reported what he learned, while Sims spoke with their crews and inspected arrangements. Their exchanges gave senior British and American officers a practical forum for questioning bridge layouts, mess spaces, and other details. The available evidence came from thousand-tonners and the small Caldwell class because operational Wickes experience had not yet reached the design process. Suggestions drawn from ships serving in European waters could therefore influence Clemson without making Clemson a derivative of mature Wickes operations. Their command relationship gave wartime experience a direct route into design discussions.