The German concept sought information early enough to offset slower fleet speed and avoid repeated encounters with concentrated Royal Navy forces. British concentration denied Germany the chance to destroy isolated detachments in detail, while German ships often lacked the speed to trap the battlecruiser force before the Grand Fleet arrived. Better tactical reconnaissance could partly compensate for those disadvantages. On the British side, large strike carriers carrying Sopwith Cuckoo torpedo bombers could attack the High Seas Fleet in harbor. Reducing that fleet-in-being would loosen the Grand Fleet's commitments and free destroyers and other vessels for convoy protection and anti-submarine warfare.
Chapter · 36:17-39:58
First World War carriers as offset strategies
Germany needed better scouting to find isolated British forces, while Britain explored carrier strike to destroy a fleet-in-being and release escorts for the U-boat war.