Rodney's aluminium fittings and repeated wartime repairs

A panelist recalls his father's service aboard HMS Rodney in 1944, when bending aluminium fittings repeatedly required repairs after the ship returned from Normandy bombardments. The account describes a maintenance problem associated with efforts to save weight. Early aluminium fittings also appeared in destroyers and other ships, particularly in places where their use was considered less consequential. A different alloy is suggested as one remedy, followed by the simpler possibility of making the very thin fittings thicker.