German aircraft carrier II
Line drawing of the final design
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | II |
| Builders: | Arsenal de Lorient |
| Preceded by: | Jade class |
| Succeeded by: | None |
| Planned: | 1 |
| Cancelled: | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | aircraft carrier |
| Displacement: | Design: 11,400 long tons (11,600 t) |
| Length: | 192.5 m (632 ft) |
| Beam: | 24.4 m (80 ft) |
| Draft: | 5.6 m (18 ft) |
| 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: |
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| Aircraft carried: | |
| Aviation facilities: | 1 hangar, 2 elevators |
The aircraft carrier II was a proposed conversion project for the incomplete French cruiser De Grasse. The ship was laid down in November 1938 and lay incomplete in the Arsenal de Lorient shipyard when Germany invaded France in May 1940. In 1942, Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine decided to convert the cruiser into an auxiliary aircraft carrier with a capacity for twenty-three fighters and dive bombers. Work ceased in February 1943, however, due to concerns with the ship's design, a severe shortage of material and labor, and the threat of Allied bombing raids. The ship was eventually completed as an anti-aircraft cruiser in 1956 by the French Navy.
The French cruiser De Grasse was laid down at the Arsenal de Lorient shipyard in Lorient in November 1938. Work on the unfinished ship stopped following the German conquest of France in May 1940. In 1942, the Kriegsmarine considered several proposals to convert the cruiser into an auxiliary aircraft carrier. The final proposal was completed by August 1942, but work on the conversion did not last long. By February 1943, 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. The ship was eventually retaken by the French Navy after the end of the war, and launched in 1946. She was ultimately completed in 1956 as an anti-aircraft cruiser.
The converted ship would have been 180.4 meters (592 ft) long at the waterline and 192.5 m (632 ft) long overall. She would have had a beam of 24.4 m (80 ft) and a draft of 5.6 m (18 ft) as designed. Her designed displacement would have been 11,400 long tons (11,600 t). The ship's propulsion system consisted of two sets of Rateau-Bretagne geared steam turbines, with steam supplied by four Indret ultra-high-pressure boilers. The engines were rated at 10,000 shaft horsepower (7,500 kW) and would have provided a top speed of 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph). The carrier would have had a range of 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at a cruising speed of 19 kn (35 km/h; 22 mph).
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