Would carrier work-up delay the Courageous class beyond 1916?

Would working up the Courageous-class carriers delay their wartime service?

Wartime work-up could be rushed, so Courageous might reach the Grand Fleet around Jutland and all three ships might be sent on operations by Christmas 1916. Full air-group readiness and the availability of the Cuckoo's engine remain uncertain.

Courageous, Glorious, and Furious were launched in February, April, and August 1916 respectively. Building Courageous and Furious to the same carrier design at Armstrong Whitworth could shorten repeat construction, and the ships would avoid training for heavy guns they no longer carried. Air-group training was still being developed, with the Sopwith Pup suggested as a fighter and an earlier Sopwith Cuckoo order as a possible route to strike capability. Whether the Cuckoo's engine would be ready remains unresolved. Courageous could join the Grand Fleet during work-up, although Jellicoe could leave her behind at Jutland if she was unready. The proposal allows all three ships to be sent on operations by Christmas 1916 without assuming full readiness. Early fuel arrangements would be relatively simple to construct but would probably need a major postwar refit.