Britain hurried to match American progress and the prospect of an Italian lead after pursuing airships without an equivalent to Curtiss's practical support. Reconnaissance remained the foundation because aircraft offered a way to find the enemy beyond the surface horizon. Aerial-torpedo development was already being planned from about 1913, applying a weapon valued for making holes in a ship's hull and admitting water. Its destructive effect depended on a hit, whether the launching platform was an aircraft, submarine, or torpedo craft. Wartime gun installations then added the fighter role at sea alongside similar developments over the Western Front.
Chapter · 46:32-49:26
From reconnaissance aircraft to attack aviation
Prewar competition and wartime experience expanded naval aircraft from scouts and spotters into torpedo attackers and armed fighters.