Thanks folks! And Evan, historical tidbits are always
most welcome
Going to extend this post-war with Merlin-powered versions of the MC.202/205V airframe or perhaps a hot-rodded one with a Griffon?
Wait for it
But first, a GTX-inspired diversion ...
Portaerei per Il Duce - Regia Marina Aircraft Carrier Development[/i]In late 1935, the procurement staff of Italy's Regia Marina formalized their Requirement for an 'auxiliary aircraft carrier' and, in early 1936, issued a Request for Proposals. The Requirement made clear that naval staff were expecting a 'flat-top' conversion of an existing vessel. The flight deck and steam catapult would be strictly for carrier-based aircraft - there were to be no recovery cranes or stowage areas for seaplanes of any kind.
The first response came from Ansaldo shipyards of Genoa. This submission proposed a carrier modification of an Ansaldo-built ocean liner - the MS
Augustus, built at the Genoa yard a decade earlier. As modified, this carrier conversion would feature a 171 metre-long flight deck, two aircraft elevators, and three below-decks aircraft hangars (one serving as a repair shop and parts stowage area). For this conversion proposal, the Regia Marina assigned the temporary re-naming - RM
Falco. In its submission, Ansaldo noted that, if the Regia Marina were to desire a second aircraft carrier, a sister ship - the SS
Roma - could also be made available for conversion.
The second RfP reponse came from the Cantiere Navale Triestino (CNT) of Monfalcone. An ocean liner built by that yard - MS
Saturnia - had just completed trooping duties for the Abyssinian campaign. At the end of December 1935, the nine-year-old
Saturnia had been returned to her builder's yard for re-engining. CNT proposed that she be rebuilt along the lines of Japan's updated
Hosho aircraft carrier - complete with full-length flight deck and folding funnels. [1] A tentative technical assistance agreement had already been arranged with Asano Shipbuilding - the Japanese makers of the
Hosho - and the Imperial Japanese Navy's Yokosuka Naval Arsenal. If a second vessel was required by the Regia Marina, a sister-ship - MS
Vulcania - was available for conversion. [2]
Weighing the comparative advantages was fairly straightforward. The MS
Augustus was a comparatively large ship with an overall length of 215.25 m and a beam of 25.2 m while MS
Saturnia was only 181.58 m long with a beam of 24.31 m. Because the CNT conversion was to feature a full-length flight deck, that surface would actually be more than 11 metres longer that the flight deck proposed for the Ansaldo project. [3] On the deficit side, the CNT flight deck would be one metre narrower than that proposed by Ansaldo. Ansaldo appealed to national prestige with an all-Italian approach to design and construction. By contrast, the CNT plan was to source catapults and other specialized carrier gear from Japan.
The Regia Marina regarded CNT's scheme to import the catapult, transverse arresting gear, aircraft lifts, etc., from Japan very favourably - in part because it freed Italian naval architects to concentrate on the design of cruisers and other capital ships. The Ministero dell'Aeronautica assessment also favoured the CNT bid. A longer flight deck was valued and CNT's slightly narrower deck did not represent a problem for the planned shipboard aircraft - 'hooked' biplanes in the form of the Fiat C.R.32N fighter and IMAM Ro.43
bis reconnaissance-bomber. Accordingly, the CNT proposal was given official approval in August 1936 and a conversion contract was issued in October 1936.
Under Regia Marina nomenclature rules, the MS
Augustus hull would be re-named. CNT recommended an 'unsinkable island' name and RM
Sicilia was tentatively accepted. However, the ship continued to be referred to as the
Augustus as conversion work began. In 1938, reflecting changes in official naming policy, the conversion would be re-named again - this time as the RM
Garibaldi.
CNT had allowed for six months to refurbish and re-engine MS
Saturnia as a liner. She was scheduled to receive two, new Sulzer diesel engines which had already been delivered to the CNT yard at Monfalcone. These double-ended diesels would develop a total power of 41,000 bhp intended to give the liner a 22 knots top speed. However, inevitable weight gains in the carrier converted process reduced top speed to 20 knots (although this remained at least as fast as the proposed Ansaldo conversion). Beyond re-engining, the entire superstructure had to be removed along with the original funnels. A girder-work structure was erected to support the wooden flight deck. Two new folding funnels were mounted on the starboard side outboard of the flight deck. [4] Two elevators pierced the flight deck at either end of a new below-decks hangar for the ship's aircraft. Beneath the aircraft levels, aviation fuel storage tanks and ammunition magazines were fitted. [5] This work progressed rather slower than expected and, as a result, the re-named RM
Garibaldi was not finally delivered to the Regia Marina until March 1939.
On her maiden cruise, RM
Garibaldi carried an aircraft complement of 12 C.R.32N fighters and 9 Ro.43
bis reconnaissance-bombers. Both the Regia Marina and Ministero dell'Aeronautica regarding these docile biplanes as interim equipment for the new aircraft carrier. In 1939, two competitions were announced for replacement aircraft. These future fighters and recce-bombers were both to be higher-performance monoplanes. (No shipboard torpedo-bomber was planned since the Regia Aeronautica was very satisfied with its land-based Savoia-Marchetti S.M.79 bombers carrying 450mm Whitehead torpedoes.)
(To be continued ...)
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[1] An obvious difference was that the Italian carrier retained a raised superstructure for its wheel house.
[2] Although assigned to military support, both CNT-built liners technically remained property of the Cosulich - Società Triestina di Navigazione line.
[3] Ansaldo's plans called for the flight deck to end 45 m short of the upper bow to facilitate gun emplacements.
[4] The twin folding-funnels became a recognition-book feature for the
Garibaldi, readily distinguishing its profile from that of the Japanese
Hosho with its triple folding-funnels. (A more subtle distinction was that the wheel house/control tower of the RM
Garibaldi was set further aft than that of the
Hosho.)
[5] Conversion work included installing defensive gun positions (including side-slung '
gondoli' for light anti-aircraft cannons) but the RM-provided weapons themselves would not be installed until final fitting-out and work-up in March 1939.