If Fisher builds the Courageous class as aircraft carriers, the Royal Navy jumps very early into large fleet flight decks. His historical enthusiasm for aviation gives the counterfactual a plausible starting point. The displaced 15-inch and 18-inch guns could arm monitors or another Renown-class battlecruiser. Because carriers would fall outside the wartime capital-ship moratorium, Fisher might order four or more without calling them large light cruisers. The rest of the First World War initially follows its historical course, isolating the consequences of this procurement choice.
Chapter · 0:38-4:27
Fisher turns the Courageous class into carriers
The opening frames a counterfactual where Fisher's Courageous-class ships become full fleet carriers rather than large light cruisers.