The 1918 RNAS fleet units were distinct from the later inter-service arrangement usually called the Fleet Air Arm. Retaining them preserves ships, personnel, bases, and naval support systems as a working institution when the RAF is formed. The Royal Navy keeps the aviation required by the fleet, while the wider land-based force transfers to the new service. This institutional starting point shapes the later carrier, procurement, and wartime consequences explored in the scenario.
Chapter · 0:49-4:46
The counterfactual: RNAS fleet units stay naval
The scenario keeps the ship-operating units of the Royal Naval Air Service under Admiralty control after 1918, rather than simply moving the later Fleet Air Arm intact.