Reginald Henderson's practical case for larger destroyers

Third Sea Lord Reginald Henderson pushed the Tribal design against objections about size and crew requirements. He argued that a larger hull could offer better equipment access, making the ship easier to operate and maintain and perhaps allowing a smaller crew than critics expected. The same concern for clear command informed his role in returning the Fleet Air Arm to Royal Navy control. His approach joined ship design to organisation: forces had to be raised, deployed, and controlled clearly if they were to project power effectively. Interservice disputes in the 1930s also had a public and political dimension because advocates took their cases into the press.