Henderson and his staff pressed the early radar effort, with HMS Saltburn testing an initial Type 79 set in 1936. Follow-on installations in Sheffield, Rodney, and Curlew moved the technology through successive experimental generations before mass production. Extra warning range and operation in darkness or bad weather made rapid-launch interception look practical again, although the doctrine remained sensitive to further technological change.
Chapter · 15:03-17:30
Type 79 radar revives the interceptor concept
Trials beginning in HMS Saltburn show how shipborne Type 79 radar promised earlier warning by night and in poor visibility.