An anecdote about Stanley Goodall has him politely dismantling a senior admiral's paper, showing the force behind his technical criticism. Goodall kept Reginald Henderson's large-destroyer vision alive after Henderson's death. Wartime experience with the Tribals persuaded much of the Royal Navy that it needed more fighting destroyers with strong general-purpose and air-defence capability. The Battle class was intended to combine heavy-destroyer combat power with the ability to shoulder some cruiser-like duties. Access to Mark 37 fire-control directors limited both construction pace and the number of ships that could be completed.
Chapter · 3:40-6:11
Stanley Goodall carries forward the large-destroyer idea
Stanley Goodall carried Reginald Henderson's general-purpose large-destroyer vision into the Battle class while scarce Mark 37 directors constrained production.