Reginald Bacon brought both naval command experience and industrial ordnance expertise to the Dover Patrol. He had assumed German submarines could not navigate the barrage effectively in darkness without lights, an assumption that operational evidence disproved. Rather than discipline subordinates for the error, he developed a system intended to close the newly exposed route. He then handed the command to Roger Keyes, making the episode a compact example of institutional learning after a senior leader's premise failed.
Notable Point · 23:38-25:02
Reginald Bacon corrects a failed assumption about U-boats
Bacon responded to evidence that U-boats could navigate the barrage at night by designing a counter-system before handing command to Roger Keyes.