Seaslug could have been abandoned in 1956, in favour of Green Flax a.k.a Thunderbird MkII.
In fact the magazine system could handle the change, and the main differences would obviously be the guidance radar and a revised launcher.
But Seaslug suffered from timing, technology and politics.
The key decisions for service entry had to be by January 1948 to give enough time and yet in that very year the bulk of the team resigned over the move from Wescott to Farnborough.
Magazine system choices needed to be made by February 1948 yet the basics of the missile's dimensions had not yet been fixed.
Worse was to come as basic guidance choices had not been made and a mkI was driven forward while AW were told to get on with a beam rider MkII while the RAE worked the ideal final MkIII.
Edited in addition.
Remember that service entry was supposed to be 1956 in order to be ready for the Year of Maximum Danger 1957.
Korea had thrown the whole effort put of kilter and most key decisions were 1954.
But the seperate cruiser magazine system actually was prototyped on Girdle Ness along with the original tripple launcher.
....of which the twin is essentially a cheap cut down version of this.
