Zeppelin promise meets the limits of fleet coordination

The airship concept promised long-range reconnaissance, fleet cover, and even attack, but those theoretical advantages depended on effective communication with the force below. Operational coordination remained difficult even with radio, leaving sections of the High Seas Fleet dissatisfied with the support Zeppelins delivered in practice. Heavier-than-air aircraft offered another route, but their experimental machinery required extensive fixed facilities. Converted merchant ships therefore offered a practical way to move an aviation base and its support equipment closer to the fleet.