This early aside connects Beatty's wartime record to the institutional future of British naval air power. After the RAF was created in April 1918, Beatty had an opportunity to reclaim at least the carrier-borne component, yet naval aviation remained under air-force control. Carrier aircraft still served a fleet function while their personnel and policy belonged to another service. The decision provides a concrete test of Beatty's ability to think beyond immediate battle command. The example returns near the end as evidence for the distinction between personal dash and the strategic work of a senior admiral.
Notable Point · 0:58-1:39
Beatty and postwar control of naval aviation
Beatty's failure to recover carrier aviation from the RAF after the First World War forms part of the wider case against his fitness for senior command.