Why did the Royal Navy allow the Royal Naval Air Service and its aviation functions to be absorbed into the RAF?
Short answerThe 1918 merger reflected the broad land-based wartime roles of both air arms, but it also obscured the Royal Naval Air Service's stronger technical logistics system.
NotesThe wartime Royal Naval Air Service did far more than operate from ships: it supported air defence, the Western Front, Gallipoli, and operations farther afield. Its support system drew on a navy accustomed to sustaining technical machinery around the world. Replacement engines could sometimes arrive within days rather than the weeks experienced by the Royal Flying Corps. The merger therefore joined two air services with markedly different administrative and logistical experience.