When Reginald Henderson became Third Sea Lord in 1933, he treated a future global war as a convoy-protection problem. Destroyers sacrificed economy for high speed, while sloops could hold a steady pace close to merchant-ship speed over long distances. Their slow, economical machinery suited the Royal Navy's dispersed routes and distant stations. Sloops therefore complemented destroyers rather than serving as inferior substitutes.
Chapter · 24:01-26:25
Endurance for global convoy escort
Henderson favored slower, economical sloops because merchant convoys needed endurance more than destroyer speed.