Seaplane-carrier procurement and the Hermes project had roots in Battenberg's period as First Sea Lord. Remaining in office through 1916 might bring Hermes into service in 1916 or 1917 and give naval aviation a firmer institutional base. A Battenberg-Jellicoe leadership partnership would then be less likely to surrender aircraft operating from ships to the Royal Air Force. Heavy bombers and forces serving in France could pass to its operational command, with a postwar division preserving the aircraft and personnel needed aboard carriers. A single naval chain of command aboard ship would support keeping the Fleet Air Arm within the Navy, much as the Royal Marines remained part of it.
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Earlier carriers and a Fleet Air Arm kept under naval control
Battenberg's support for seaplane carriers and Hermes could accelerate carrier service and strengthen the case for retaining shipborne aviation inside the Royal Navy.