The scenario gives Frank Whittle consistent support from 1928, before the historical Air Ministry rejection in 1929. Alan Arnold Griffith pursued a competing technical approach and treated a small calculation error as grounds for rejecting Whittle's proposal. The Admiralty had a strong reason to investigate the idea because lighter machinery could ease the constraints of naval treaties. Boilers, turbines and their supporting equipment consumed displacement, as did the crews and accommodation needed to operate them. Reducing that commitment could leave more weight for protection or other capabilities within the same tonnage allowance.
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How the Admiralty could have rescued Whittle's jet proposal
A plausible 1928 divergence sends Frank Whittle's jet work to a Royal Navy eager to save machinery weight under treaty limits.