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 Germans occupied the shipyard on 22 June and initially planned on completing the hull so it could be launched to clear the slipway.

They also note that the French shipyard workers had little interest in completing a warship for their German occupiers and worked slowly.

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 ship's air complement was to have consisted of eleven Bf 109 fighters and twelve Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers.