Take control of the aircraft carrier, its crew, officers and planes during WW2. After World War II the ship was raised and taken to La Spezia in 1949. The significant establishment forces standing against aircraft carrier construction did not prevent experimentation. Like Sparviero, the Italian aircraft carrier Aquila, a modification of the sister ship of Augustus, SS Roma, was scuttled and scrapped before the conversion into the aircraft carrier was finished. Additionally, the deck was partially armored. Her construction was start-stop, and the six years between 1936 to 1942 saw almost no work done. It inspired Mussolini’s ambitious order to convert the ocean liner SS Roma to a fleet aircraft carrier, christened Aquila. During the 1920s and 1930s, debate raged among the Italian high command. Aquila became the first, and only, aircraft carrier type to be considered / acted upon by the Italian government. The idea of an aircraft carrier in Italy was long brushed aside by Mussolini, speaking of Italy being itself a super-large aircraft carrier, which was arguably true due to the central position in the Mediterranean. After all, Italy jutted out into the Mediterranean Sea and possessed bases on numerous Mediterranean islands. Italian naval ship classes of World War II, Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in October 1944, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Italian_aircraft_carrier_Sparviero&oldid=973125449, Naval ships of Italy captured by Germany during World War II, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2010, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 15 August 2020, at 14:27. On April 24, 1945, the ship was scuttled at Genoa. No one would discount the value of aircraft carriers entirely. The wreckage was recovered after the war and finally scrapped in 1951. The interior carried 30-80mm of reinforced concrete protection, to protect the internals from splintering. Additionally, trouble with the arrester gear was a critical failure that delayed her entry into service. After being captured by the Germans in 1943, they sank Sparviero in Genoa harbor a year later to deny the use of the port to the allies. Aircraft Carrier Aquila. BANGKOK --A piece of prized World War II U.S. naval history, the wreckage of the aircraft carrier … There are a total of [ 36 ] WW2 U.S. Aircraft Carriers (1941-1945) entries in the Military Factory. This seems improbable, however, given the relatively narrow scope of the reconstruction. Fuel and ammunition storage enjoyed 76mm of armor protection. Co-belligerent Italian forces of the former Decima MAS partially sank the carrier on 19 April 1945 before another German attempt to scuttle the vessel to block the port of Genoa. Ironically, even the scrapping of the ship dragged on for years – beginning in 1946, completing in 1951. [citation needed] The propulsion plant was to remain unchanged, the diesel engines giving an estimated speed of under 20 knots. These two ships were the last attempts to build aircraft carriers for the Italian Navy until 1981, when work began on Giuseppe Garibaldi. Courtesy HD Video | Natochannel | Date: 10.02.2013. She would have had a narrow flight deck. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order (1-to-Z). your own Pins on Pinterest The Italian Navy (Italian: Marina Militare, lit. There are a total of [ 32 ] WW2 Italian Fighter Aircraft (1939-1945) entries in the Military Factory. List of countries that have operated aircraft carriers. On November 11, 1940, her planes took part in the first successful carrier raid in military history. The conversion was started in 1942 but was never completed, and the ship was never delivered to the Regia Marina. Practical reality triumphed over theoretic possibility, and no one could deny the necessity of aircraft carriers. It was truly their marginal utility that debate fell upon. The original intention was only to produce another auxiliary carrier, but there was no longer doubt as to the merit of naval aviation. A Net Inceptions project. With a folding wing variant, she’d have possessed a much more powerful striking arm. However, the unique problems of naval aviation posed significant challenges to her prospective operations. A rare photo showing the aircraft carrier Sparviero under construction in 1942. Images, videos and other multimedia published on comandosupremo.com qualifies as Fair Use under U.S. copyright law. Although the Aquila was raised in 1946 it met the scrapyard in 1952. Political developments forced the hand of the Italian command and pushed naval aviation to the sidelines. A simple conversion of the ocean liner MS Augustus into an auxiliary carrier laid in limbo until two disasters revived interest. Damages from a heavy storm disrupted her conversion to a seaplane tender in 1925, which was nonetheless completed in 1927. Feb 20, 2016 - This Pin was discovered by Ronald Yoshioka@吉岡様. This is all extremely theoretical, however; the only work which the Genoa shipyards completed was the removal of the superstructure. In mid-1940, as Italy prepared to enter the war as an ally of Germany, a design was prepared for a simple conversion of the fast liner Roma into an aircraft carrier, but again was deemed less of a priority than other construction and set aside in January 1941. The small, slow ship carried 296 men, cruised at 21 knots, and carried only sixteen seaplanes. The gutted interior provided room for workshops, modest torpedo defenses, a new propulsion system, and a hangar. Following World War I, the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina) began tentatively exploring the use of ship-borne aircraft by converting the merchant ship Città di Messina into the twin-catapult-equipped seaplan… She would have also been equipped with a single hangar with two lifts and fitted with a flight deck that ended 45 meters (148 ft) before the bow. The American aircraft carrier force of World War 2 was instrumental in turning the tide of the War in the Pacific. Initially the Italian Navy considered refitting the Aquila for service as a carrier but this plan was abandoned and the ship broken up in 1952. USC Title 17. The Aquila and Sparviero aircraft carriers were among the well-known unfinished ships of WW2. She was originally the ocean liner MS Augustus. Comando Supremo is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. The superstructure was to be removed. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily the primary operator. Her air group was to be either 34 fighters or 16 fighters and 9 torpedo bombers. During the Munich Crisis of 1938, Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, the commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet, was concerned about the survival of the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious in the face of Italian opposition in the Mediterranean, and ordered his staff to re-examine all plans for attacking Taranto. The eight heavy AA guns provided a powerful wall of flack against enemy planes. Many contentious issues vied for the attention of Il Duce. She was originally the ocean liner MS Augustus. Though she was not built from the keel up and never attained operational status, Aquilais considered Italy’s first aircraft carrier. She bristled with a powerful defensive array consisting of 135mm and 20mm guns. As the French embarked on a building program focused on battleships and heavy cruisers, Italy fought to keep up. In two years, with fairly limited technical assistance, they completed a competent Italian aircraft carrier. © 2000-2019 Comando Supremo. The construction of ships such as the first-rate Zara cruisers and Littorio battleships swallowed her ship construction capacity. The idea was initially abandoned but then resumed in 1942. The Aquila aircraft carrier moored at the port of Genoa in 1946. Accept Read More, Italian Aircraft Carriers of World War Two, Fiat–Revelli Modello 1935 History and Specifications, Whitehead Torpedo: Its Origin and Italian Adaptation, Caproni Campini N.1: World’s Second Jet Aircraft, Giovanni Messe: Italy’s Best WWII General, 151,000 shp (113,000 kW) 4 Steam Turbines, (8) 135 mm guns (12) 65 mm guns (132) 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons, (8) 135 mm guns (12) 65 mm guns (22) 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons. Not until the Battle of Gaudo/Cape Matapan cost the Regia Marina an entire cruiser division later that year did they come onboard. Entering service in 1928, the navy intended to use her to develop tactics and techniques for carrier aviation. Bureaucratic inefficiency, a skeptical military establishment, and industrial weakness ended the career of the ship before it began. Rounding out this defense, Aquila carried 132 20mm guns, in six-barreled mounts. The 211.6 m × 25.2 m deck carried an additional ten planes, providing a total capacity of 51 fighter-bombers. Note: Due to numerous edits in the past, this section, unlike the rest of the current article, does NOT necessarily exclude amphibious assault ships and helicopter carriers.. Argentina. Had the political will to construct her been found six years earlier, one has to wonder how they’d have changed the Mediterranean war. They quickly achieved inroads on various forms of advanced equipment, until the 1943 armistice removed Italy from the war. The German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin was the lead ship in a class of two carriers of the same name ordered by the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany.She was the only aircraft carrier launched by Germany and represented part of the Kriegsmarine ' s attempt to create a well-balanced oceangoing fleet, capable of projecting German naval power far beyond the narrow confines of the Baltic and North Seas. Cavour History Italy Name: Cavour Namesake: Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour Ordered: 22 November 2000 Builder: Fincantieri Cost: €1.39 billion €1.464 billion Laid down: 17 July 2001 Launched: 20 July 2004 Commissioned: 27 March 2008 In service: 10 June 2009 Homeport: Taranto Identification: Pennant number: 550 Motto: In arduis servare mentem Status: Active General characteristics Type: Aircraft carrier … Despite her service in the Ethiopian and Spanish wars, this foray into the employment of naval aircraft found a dead end. A one-man turret in the center mounted a single Breda Modello 35 20 mm main gun and a Breda Modello 38 8 mm coaxial machine gun. If one felt harsh, they might say Sparviero’s life began and ended with a whimper. Giuseppe Miraglia began her life as a civilian train ferry in 1923, but the Regia Marina soon acquired her. Both proceeded from ideas developed in 1928-1930 as a faction milited for their development, in the country which invented the … | Privacy Policy | Contact us. It was not until the outbreak of war that the shortcomings of the ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’ concept became evident. Aquila was the more ambitious project of the Italian aircraft carrier program. However, even in her inaction, Aquila showed positively what the Italian military could accomplish. Section 107 specifies usage of copyright material falls under Fair Use when it is applied for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching and research. Sources sometimes report the anti-air defenses, armor, and crew size as identical to Aquila. Her defensive armament was quite good, as well. He tends to move often; at the time of writing, he's somewhere between Tbilisi and Tirana. By the time of the 1943 Armistice of Cassibile, she had progressed further along than her sister and neared completion. Aquila was the more ambitious project of the Italian aircraft carrier program. He has experience in English tutoring, volunteering, and other forms of work, but has adopted freelancing as his main mode of work. As such, even Italian Chiefs of Staff such as Gino Ducci were among the champions of the fleet air arm. Details and sources are provided at Lists of aircraft carriers operational during World War II.. World War II fleet carriers typically displaced 20,000 to 35,000 tons and could sail at 30 to 35 knots. The conversion began in September 1942, the work undertaken by the Ansaldo Shipyard in Genoa. Eight boilers powered four steam-geared turbines, which produced 151,000 shp and enabled Aquila to propel herself at 30 knots. The driver sat in the front right of the hull. The hull was captured by the Germans and was sunk on 5 October 1944 to block access to the port of Genoa. She began to be scrapped in 1946, a process completed by 1952. The frenetic construction of that aircraft carrier holds much more interest. World War II aircraft carrier wreckage found 00:24. Nonetheless, hypothetical interest in developing Italian aircraft carriers persisted. The hangar was sufficiently spacious to carry 41 of the capable Reggiane Re.2001 aircraft. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. ... Caio To Italian Fleet At Taranto. Of these, a particularly divisive matter was the future of Italian naval aviation. Ultimately, the fate of the ships was to sail to the scrapyards in the early 1950s. Her diesel propulsion would’ve provided a speed around 20 knots, the small hangar could only afford a 34-fighter air group. Japanese and American fleet carriers were typically capable of carrying 50 to 90 aircraft into combat. North Atlantic Council Sea Day: ITS Cavour. The aircraft carrier officially supplanted the mighty battleship as the primary instrument of naval warfare during World War 2. British Aircraft Carriers: The Allies World War II Wonder Weapon . This website uses cookies to improve your experience. The Italian aircraft carrier has left the Arsenal at Taranto after modernization works and is almost ready for her next chapter: F-35B integration tests. He credits most of his knowledge to independent study and has decided to live abroad since he turned 19. In all, Aquila had the makings of a respectable aircraft carrier for operations within the Mediterranean Theater. The primary task of the Regia Marina was to maintain parity with the navy of Italy’s chief rival, France. 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