Could an injured flag officer remain in command?

Would the Royal Navy allow an injured flag officer to continue serving?

Yes, if he was fit for duty. Beatty has to remain hospitalized and medically unable to serve for the emergency replacement to be necessary.

Royal Navy policy did not automatically remove a flag officer merely because he had been injured. If he remained fit and capable, he could continue serving. The counterfactual therefore requires injuries severe enough to keep Beatty in hospital and force an immediate replacement. Broken limbs and a punctured lung are presented as the mechanism that makes a new commander unavoidable rather than an arbitrary dismissal.