Aircraft carrier "Aquila"

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Folgore
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Aircraft carrier "Aquila"

#1

Post by Folgore » 05 Jul 2003, 12:38

This is the italian aircraft carrier "Aquila", unfinished and bombed during the last months of war in 1945. Does anyone have pictures of her twin sister "Falco"?
And does anyone know if the Regia Marina pilots were training also on the Macchi MC202 figther in order to use it on the carriers?

Thanks, Folgore![/i]
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Andy H
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#2

Post by Andy H » 05 Jul 2003, 12:57

I've ben trying to access a PM from Robert Hurst which would have added to this thread.

I've sent Robert a PM asking him to look at this thread and hopefully re-post what he sent me

Kind Regards

Andy H


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SM79Sparviero
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Sparviero

#3

Post by SM79Sparviero » 05 Jul 2003, 18:45

Falco ( then Sparviero) was not Aquila's twin sister, the two aircraft carriers were built from two different merchant ships, Roma ( Aquila) and Augustus ( Sparviero).
Aquila had to operate in task forces with the new fast battleships Littorio class and the heavy cruisers, its turbines had the highest power among Regia Marina ships ( 200.000 HP on 4 shafts) for more than 30 knots.

Sparviero was a cheap and fast project for an escort aircraft carrier, its maximum speed was only 18-21 Knots .Its appearance was far from Aquila's one, it had a flat deck as British Furious .

I found no data about a projected employement of Macchi C-202 on aircraft carriers.
Aquila and Sparviero's aircrafts had to be Reggiane Re-2001 OR (Organizzazione Roma) for the roles of fighter and dive bomber , Fiat G-50 bis as a scout-bomber.
Marina militare experimented an Arado Ar-96 B1 and a Junkers Ju-87 C( navalized for Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier project).
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Sparviero in Genoa ship-yard, 1942
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sparviero1.jpg
Sparviero 1936 project
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Re-2001 OR and Fiat G-50 bis
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Andy H
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#4

Post by Andy H » 05 Jul 2003, 19:38

http://www.thirdreichforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10668

The above is a link to thread I posted late last year

Andy H

JLEES
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Aircraft Career

#5

Post by JLEES » 05 Jul 2003, 21:22

When we say bombed at the end of the war, are we talking about 1943, or 1945? Was this carreer in Northern Italy at the end of the war under RSI ownership?
James

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Folgore
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Aquila

#6

Post by Folgore » 06 Jul 2003, 05:59

The "Aquila" had been completed at 98% at the time of the italian armitice of September '43. From then on it was impossible (and irrealistic) for RSI to continue its production. Germans and RSI military took all that could have been useful from it. It was later damaged during an Allied air raid on Genova in June 1944. While April 19, 1945 it was semi-sunk by Royal Italian Navy special units to avoid German intention of blocking Genova's port by sinking it at its entrance. After the war the ship was repaired and towed to La Spezia, where it floated till 1952 (picture in my other post), when it was sadly demolished.
Sparviero you were right, Aquila was not Sparviero's twin... and what a difference instead!
Folgore!
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daveh
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#7

Post by daveh » 07 Jul 2003, 15:58

C Dunning in his book Courage Alone states that German instrucors arrived at Perugia in March 1943 to train potential carrier pilots and to test suitable aircraft. All these test were land based, including the simulated deck landings.
Tested were Ju 87C, Ar 96B, SAIMAN 200, Fiat G 50 bis, Reggiane Re 2001

The Fiats were for training use only and 10 Re 2001 's were converted for carrier use

Pilots were selected from 160 Grupo C.T.

gabriel pagliarani
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#8

Post by gabriel pagliarani » 09 Jul 2003, 16:17

daveh wrote:Pilots were selected from 160 Grupo C.T.
Exactly. By power of Regia Aeronautica institution only R.A. fighter pilots were allowed to combat. No Navy fighter pilots in Italy until 1990: only the displacement of Harriers changed this old and superseeded rule.

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Marcus
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#9

Post by Marcus » 10 Jul 2003, 22:27

A post about plans for a German carrier was moved to a new thread.

/Marcus

gjs
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#10

Post by gjs » 27 Jan 2007, 09:37

Hello,

And what was the status of Sparviero carrier at the time of Armistice? Was she also near to be completed? As Sparviero was a cheap and fast project for an escort aircraft carrier so I guess she could have been quite ready at the time of Italian Armistice.
98% does it mean that all the armanent was already installed on Aquila? e.g anti aircraft guns etc. Was this also the case for Sparviero?

Thanks

gjs

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JeffreyF
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#11

Post by JeffreyF » 28 Jan 2007, 06:13

It had hardly any of it's anti-aircraft armament on-board so I can't understand it being 98% complete. As I recall some of the aa guns were to use new mountings that had not been completed afaik.

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#12

Post by eisenbahn9 » 27 Jun 2007, 04:52

In an article published in the Naval Institute Proceedings (not sure what year), Lt. Cmdr Edward Barker wrote of the aircraft carrier Aquila: "These difficulties were aggravated by construction troubles involving the flight deck. It appeared impossible to design and install a satisfactory arresting system." He also said: "It was not expected that the forthcoming trials would be altogether successful owing to the faulty arresting gear system which would not allow the planes to land aboard. The plan was for the aircraft to take off from the carrier and after carrying out their mission, fly to the nearest shore and land." Seems like a major (and embarrassing) limitation for an aircraft carrier!

I'm wondering if the Germans had similar problems with Graf Zeppelin arresting gear since, according to the article, "...a good deal of the equipment originally intended for the German Graf Zeppelin was transferred to the Aquila." I've read several accounts reporting difficulties perfecting Graf Zeppelin's catapults but apparently Aquila's flight deck catapults (designed to launch 30 aircraft per half hour) performed okay. Barker writes: "The engines and catapults were completed a few months later (Sept.1943) and successful tests were carried out at Genoa..."

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#13

Post by eisenbahn9 » 09 Nov 2007, 00:29

Are there any publications (books or magazine articles) available in Italy regarding Aquila's construction and development? I'm also looking for photos taken during her construction that might show details of her catapults, arrester gear, etc. Almost all the photos I've seen of her so far seem to be all post-armistice, after she'd been damaged by air and underwater attacks. Didn't the builders typically document the progress made on a major capital ship for their own records?

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Re: Aircraft carrier "Aquila"

#14

Post by eisenbahn9 » 27 Mar 2009, 18:53

Does anyone know if Aquila was eqipped with radar (air or surface search)? If so, what type or types? Or was it only planned to install radar sets? Need reference source for this info, either book or magazine article. Thanks.

madmike61
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Re: Aircraft carrier "Aquila"

#15

Post by madmike61 » 21 Aug 2011, 13:05

a lot of books talks about the Aquila and the italian history of aircraft carriers. Unfortunatly (foru english spoken people, but not for me... are all in italian.

In september there will be a definitive book about the theme, of course in Italian.

about the others questions:

- the Aquila has arrested gear for landing, with four wires. Toghether with the two catapults, were furnished by the germans.
- Aquila were provided for the EC3\TER GUFO radar
- Sparviero was semi destroyed in Genova at the end of the war, the works were not really as the Aquila were. The complete of both the aircraft carriers after the 1943 may be absurd, for strategical and economical reasons.

As there were no italians, or germans, pilots with effective carrier training, the aircraft carriers will be sunken in the period of training....

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