The design fits a capability Henderson already wanted but could not obtain through a new large-destroyer program. C-class cruisers were committed to anti-aircraft conversion, while the Royal Navy wanted operational experience with the Tribal class before funding another large destroyer. By January 1938, the Treasury had finally relaxed the Ten Year Rule's practical restraint enough to fund rearmament, and the project could draw on stores and suitable yard space. Henderson was near the height of his authority as Third Sea Lord, with Director of Naval Construction Stanley Goodall supporting him, so four discovered hulls offered a rare route around institutional resistance.
Notable Point · 1:24:20-1:27:47
Why Henderson could push the conversion through in 1938
Henderson's large-destroyer ambitions, released rearmament funding, available yards, and Stanley Goodall's support make the unusual conversion institutionally plausible.