In this account, Jellicoe already understood the value of convoying and commissioned Henderson's report to support its wider adoption. He had used escorted coal convoys to make supplies to Scapa Flow more reliable. Senior opponents feared that merchant convoys would strip escorts from the Grand Fleet. Beatty's concern centred on preserving the fleet's freedom of movement against its German opponent. The dispute therefore involved competing demands for escorts as well as judgments about convoy protection, with Henderson's report helping make the operational case.
Notable Point · 27:33-29:32
Jellicoe's convoy case and the Grand Fleet's escorts
Escorted coal supplies and the Grand Fleet's competing needs explain the argument behind Jellicoe's request for Henderson's convoy report.