An earlier Cuckoo makes the strike plausible

A Wilhelmshaven strike in September 1916 or September 1917 would give the Navy an operation to draw attention away from Gallipoli, even if it achieved little damage. The historical Sopwith Cuckoo was proposed in October 1916 from ideas discussed since 1913, first flew in June 1917, and was ordered that August. In the scenario, Fisher orders the carriers' torpedo aircraft alongside the ships, moving the request to January 1915. Applying the historical development interval suggests that a Cuckoo-like aircraft could fly by October 1915. Early 1915 lacked some of the technical development and experience accumulated by late 1916, so an identical timetable is an assumption. Many of the same designers were already available, making an earlier torpedo-carrying aircraft conceivable.