Hibernia was only about seven years old in 1912 and remained a capable King Edward VII class pre-dreadnought despite HMS Dreadnought having changed the standard. The flying-off platform blocked her forward 12-inch guns and took a valuable battleship out of normal operations for months. The US Navy had conducted its experiment on a cruiser, perhaps reflecting the two services' different shipbuilding priorities, though that explanation remains tentative. Both navies committed useful ships to early aviation trials. That choice shows that naval leaders already considered the experiments worth a real loss of operational availability.
Notable Point · 20:14-23:30
HMS Hibernia shows the institutional cost of aviation trials
The Royal Navy accepted blocked guns and months out of service on a still-useful battleship to test flight at sea.