Aquila

History

During World War II, the Italian Navy relied on battleships in the Mediterranean, while the major powers like the United States and Britain favored aircraft carriers for naval power projection. Italy's first aircraft carrier project, the "Aquila," initiated in 1941 during the war, was not completed before Italy's armistice in September 1943. This was due to Italy and Germany neglecting the development of aircraft carriers in their naval forces, resulting in a significant lack of naval firepower.

The "Aquila" was a conversion of the SS Roma, a passenger liner, in order to expedite its entry into service. It had a displacement of up to 28,200 tons, could carry around 35 to 45 fighter jets, and was armed with a combination of main guns, secondary guns, and anti-aircraft guns. However, the Aquila was never launched, and its construction was halted due to Italy's surrender in 1943. It suffered further damage from aerial bombardment and sabotage, eventually being scrapped in 1952, marking the uneventful end of Italy's first aircraft carrier endeavor.

Specification

Basics

Years of Service: 1941

Origins: The Kingdom of Italy

Status: Stopped.

Ship Builder: Ansaldo - Kingdom of Italy / Italy

Operators: Italy Kingdom

Dimensions and Weight

Length: 760.0 feet (231.65m)

Ray: 96 feet (29.26m)

Draft: 24 feet (7.32m)

Displacement: 28,200 tons

POWER & PERFORMANCE

Installed Power: 8 x Boilers feeding 4 x Geared steam turbines developing 151,000 horsepower to 4 x shafts under stern.

Surface Speed: 30. 0 kts (34. 5 mph)

Range: 5,475 nm (6,300 mi | 10,139 km)

ARMAMENT

8 x 135mm (5. 3") /45 caliber guns.

12 x 65mm (2. 5") /64 caliber guns.

132 x 20mm (0. 79") /65 caliber Anti-Aircraft (AA) automatic cannons.