Henderson was prepared for Mediterranean or Far East command

After nearly seven years as Third Sea Lord, Henderson was expected to return to an operational command so the navy could retain and eventually promote him. Royal Navy career management cultivated regional specialists rather than assigning senior officers to unfamiliar stations in peacetime. Henderson knew Greece, Turkey, and the eastern Mediterranean, while repeated China Station service gave him experience of Japan and American Yangtze patrols. That background made either the Mediterranean Fleet or Far East command a plausible next appointment. His career repeatedly intersected with Andrew Cunningham's, and Cunningham later took the unusual step of adding his own assessment to Henderson's service file.