German aircraft carrier I (1942)

The German aircraft carrier I[Note 1] was a planned conversion of the transport ship Europa during World War II.

The loss of the battleship Bismarck and near torpedoing of her sistership Tirpitz in May 1941 and March 1942, respectively, spurred the Kriegsmarine to acquire aircraft carriers.

The work was canceled in November 1942, however, after design problems, including serious instability and structural weaknesses, proved to be uncorrectable.

[2] Following the loss of the battleship Bismarck in May 1941 and the near torpedoing of her sistership Tirpitz in March 1942, the Kriegsmarine was convinced of the need to acquire aircraft carriers.

Several vessels were selected for conversion, including the incomplete heavy cruiser Seydlitz and several passenger liners.

[2] Another significant obstacle was the unwillingness of Hermann Göring, the commander in chief of the Luftwaffe, to provide the Kriegsmarine with sufficient aircraft and pilots.

[5] After the end of the war, Europa was seized by the US Army and commissioned as a troop transport under the name AP 177 before being transferred to France, where she resumed her commercial duties.

[6] The ship was propelled by four sets of Blohm & Voss geared turbines that drove four shafts, each with a four-bladed screw that was 5 m (16 ft) in diameter.

The turbines were powered by 24 double-ended narrow water tube boilers that produced up to 21 atmospheres of pressure.

The engines were rated for 100,000 shaft horsepower (75,000 kW), and provided a top speed of 26.5 knots (49.1 km/h; 30.5 mph).

[6] The ship was to have been armed with twelve 10.5-centimeter (4.1 in) L/65 anti-aircraft guns in six twin mounts, three forward and three aft of the island and funnel.