A report helped move Jellicoe toward convoys

A report written by Commander Henderson formed part of the institutional route toward convoying. It reached John Jellicoe, who had become First Sea Lord in November 1916 and therefore faced the renewed campaign from its beginning. Jellicoe used the report alongside political manoeuvring to obtain convoy experiments. General adoption did not follow until August 1917, by which time merchant losses were already falling. Opening here shows that a tactical answer still required staff analysis, senior sponsorship, experimentation, and political consent.