The Royal Navy wanted carrier numbers for trade protection, reconnaissance, and fleet protection before reliable ship-killing aviation was available. British assessments of Jutland and other operations gave German aerial reconnaissance an important role, strengthening the case for fighters that could suppress enemy scouting. Carrier aircraft could also find enemy forces and spot the fall of shot for battleships beyond direct visual range. The Blackburn Blackburn functions here as a sensor node in a distributed weapon system: the aircraft supplied information while the battleship delivered the destructive effect. The importance attached to these missions helped the Royal Navy maintain the world's largest operational carrier force until wartime losses changed the balance.
Chapter · 37:48-40:34
Carrier aviation before the strike-carrier era
Early carrier value lay in scouting, counter-reconnaissance, spotting, and trade protection as much as in striking enemy ships.