RN Fenice

[tigercat]

my latest project will be an Italian paddle aircraft carrier 

RN Fenice or Phoenix  am working on back story on  how they get a paddle steamer  .

Current thinking is it was salvaged after Dunkirk by Germans and given to Italians for conversion to a Flak ship

only stumbling block is getting her into Mediterranean . Maybe I'll just decide Italians had them for tourist trade pre war

[NARSES2]

If salvaged at Dunkirk then there is no reason why it couldn't of simply sailed round the coast, from port to port, but then comes the slight problem of the Straights. Depending on her size then there is always the Canal du Garrone/Canal du Midi route ?

Maybe I'll just decide Italians had them for tourist trade pre war

[tigercat]

she is 299.7x34.6x11.1

I've based dimensions on SS Crested Eagle 

[NARSES2]

Well the Canal du Midi has maximum boat dimensions of (source Wikipedia):-

Length 30m/98 foot
Beam 5.5m/18 foot
Draft 1.5m/5 feet

Won't work unfortunately

[Rheged]

my latest project will be an Italian paddle aircraft carrier 

RN Fenice or Phoenix  am working on back story on  how they get a paddle steamer  .

Current thinking is it was salvaged after Dunkirk by Germans and given to Italians for conversion to a Flak ship

only stumbling block is getting her into Mediterranean . Maybe I'll just decide Italians had them for tourist trade pre war

The Kreigsmarine sold it to a Spanish company from  Minorca, who "planned to use the vessel for their tourist industry".  As a neutral, it was able to pass the Straits. Once it reached Port Mahon....GOSH! WHAT A SURPRIZE!!  it was sold on to an Italian front company for the Regia Marina.

Does this scenario help to get your paddle steamer  from Dunkirk to (for instance) Genoa or La Spezia?

That's got the ship there, now for the hard bit.......the political infighting between the Regia Marina  and the Regia Aeronautica over who will man the thing!

[tigercat]

[tigercat]

[tigercat]

[zenrat]

In my (deranged) imagination this was going to look like a Mississippi stern wheel paddle steamer with a flight deck on top.

This is even better.

[TheChronicOne]

Co-signing on this one! I'm not usually into floaty-things but this is so cool...

[tigercat]

The Italians stumbled onto the idea of an angled flight deck



Thank you all


The Italians wanted more space to fit aircraft  and the angled deck gave more flexibility to operate aircraft with longer wingspan .

As they were converting a paddle steamer the paddle sponsons gave more width to support an angled deck .

Someone had an epiphany on how to get more capacity on a smaller hull by angling the deck.

The Italians being fairly new to carriers didn't have any burden of tradition to overcome .

[tigercat]

[tigercat]

[NARSES2]

Progress mate 

[Captain Canada]

Huge ! Nice work. Looks like fun