The counterfactual extends beyond wartime command because a victorious Sturdee would enter interwar policy with greater authority. If Sturdee took Beatty's place in fleet exercises with the King, he could also leave the monarch with a different impression of the Royal Navy. His fleet priorities and political approach differed from Beatty's, potentially changing how the service negotiated with government during the Washington Naval Treaty era. The clearest institutional difference concerns aviation: Sturdee opposed transferring aircraft operating from ships to the Royal Air Force. He could argue that carrier, cruiser, and capital-ship aircraft formed part of one worldwide naval system and therefore required naval command. Jutland reconnaissance by HMS Engadine would give that case a battle-tested example of aviation's value to fleet information.
Notable Point · 1:15:09-1:17:15
Sturdee, the Washington treaty, and naval aviation
A more influential Sturdee could alter interwar fleet policy, particularly treaty bargaining and whether shipborne aircraft remain under naval control.