Coastal Command sometimes cooperated with the Royal Navy through local initiative, but Britain lacked a dependable prewar command system for joint maritime-air operations. The Navy exercised operational control over Fleet Air Arm units attached to ships even before regaining full institutional control of naval aviation. A larger tender force would therefore have given naval commanders aircraft they could task directly for reconnaissance and trade protection. The platform would determine who could issue operational tasking as much as it would determine aircraft range or ship cost.
Chapter · 7:38-9:23
Why service control shaped Britain's maritime air power
The interwar division between Coastal Command and the Navy made formal air-sea coordination difficult, while ship-based tender aircraft would have fallen under naval operational control.