German aircraft carrier II
Plan and profile drawing of the final design
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Class overview | |
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Name | II |
Builders | Arsenal de Lorient |
Preceded by | Jade class |
Succeeded by | None |
Planned | 1 |
Cancelled | 1 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Light aircraft carrier |
Displacement | Design: 11,400 long tons (11,600 t) |
Length | 192.5 m (631 ft 7 in) (loa) |
Beam | 24.4 m (80 ft 1 in) |
Draft | 5.6 m (18 ft 4 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed | 32 kn (59 km/h; 37 mph) |
Range | At 19 kn (35 km/h; 22 mph): 7,000 nmi (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) |
Armament | |
Aircraft carried | |
Aviation facilities |
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The
Design
The French cruiser
In 1942, the Kriegsmarine considered several proposals to convert the cruiser into an auxiliary aircraft carrier, and the final proposal was completed by August. Accounts of the conversion work differ; according to the German historian Erich Gröner, work began soon after but was cancelled by February 1943. But the historians John Jordan and Jean Moulin state that work was delayed until late 1943 owing to delivery delays for the equipment required to complete the vessel. They also note that the French shipyard workers had little interest in completing a warship for their German occupiers and worked slowly. The project had been abandoned, for several reasons. The shipyard suffered from a shortage of labor and materials, and the design staff had significant concerns over the arrangement of the engine system. The Allies also posed a serious threat, as Lorient was well within the range of Allied bombers, and the ship was hit twice by bombs while under German control.[1][2]
The ship was eventually retaken by the French Navy after the port was liberated on 9 May 1945 and it was discovered that the shipyard workers had hidden significant quantities of material in her
Characteristics
The converted ship would have been 180.4 m (591 ft 10 in)
As converted, the ship was to be armed with several types of
The ship's aircraft facilities consisted of a 177.5 m (582 ft) long, 24 m (79 ft) wide
Notes
References
- Caldwell, Donald & ISBN 978-1-85367-712-0.
- Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War II. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-459-2.
- ISBN 978-0-87021-790-6.
- Jordan, John & Moulin, Jean (2013). French Cruisers 1922 - 1956. Yorkshire: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-133-5.
- Kay, Antony K. & Couper, Paul (2004). Junkers Aircraft and Engines, 1913–1945. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-985-0.
- Sieche, Erwin (1992). "Germany". In Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 218–254. ISBN 978-0-85177-146-5.
Further reading
- Schenk, Peter (2008). "German Aircraft Carrier Developments". Warship International. 45 (2). Toledo: International Naval Research Organization: 129–158. OCLC 1647131.