Henry Jackson demonstrated ship-to-ship wireless over three miles in 1896 and extended the work to 140 miles with Marconi. HMS Juno was fitted as a wireless test platform in 1899, and he was elected to the Royal Society for his research in 1901. His friendship with Percy Scott could provide money for fire-control trials despite naval factionalism surrounding Scott. In 1912, HMS Thunderer scored six times as many hits as HMS Orion at 9,000 yards in a director-control trial. Scott called Orion the Navy's best shooting ship, but that assessment is disputed. Earlier funding could support Scott from about 1906, bring decisive trials forward to around 1910, and give crews more practice before the First World War. Wider prewar installation would still face opposition within the Navy.
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Henry Jackson could accelerate wireless and director fire control
Jackson's wireless experiments and friendship with Percy Scott create a route to earlier shipboard radio and director-controlled gunnery.