ABSTRACT
This chapter examines gunnery's influence on the development of carrier aviation and provides insights into the process of military innovation during the interwar years. It demonstrates that the development of carrier aviation in the US Navy was a mission driven affair that proceeded incrementally over the course of several years. By war's end US naval authorities in Washington were receiving a steady stream of eyewitness accounts, intelligence reports, and technical documents describing the rapid development of British aviation at sea, including introduction of the aircraft carrier—a new type of ship designed specifically for taking wheeled aircraft to sea. The importance of the British achievements had not gone unnoticed by those in the US Navy responsible for planning. After the battle, Laning praised Reeves's use of air power while decrying the state of Blue's battle line. Reeves's conclusion, backed by the supporting data prepared by his staff at the War College, was a godsend to the Navy's leadership.
