Churchill pushes the Royal Naval Air Service into being

Churchill's political backing mattered because early naval aviation needed money, institutional support, and a senior politician willing to argue that aircraft could be useful at sea. Admirals supported the idea, but the Navy still needed someone who could make the financial case. HMS Hermes and her seaplane represent the practical experiments behind that argument. Aircraft carriers and seaplane carriers had to be presented as viable naval tools before their operating methods were proven.