RN Joseph Miraglia
type
seaplane
Royal Arsenal shipyard of La Spezia
setting
March 5 1921
launch
20 December 1923 entry into service November 1, 1927
radiation
July 15, 1950
final destiny
dismantled in 1950
general characteristics displacement
discharge: t
4507 normal: 5.400 t
full load: 5,913 t
length 121.22 m width
14.99 m 5.82 m draft
flight deck length 211.6 m
25.2 m above sea level: 23 meters
propulsion
8 Yarrow water tube boilers, 2 sets of steam turbines with gearbox type Parsons, two three-bladed propellers, power: 16,700 hp Speed \u200b\u200b
21 knots
crew
16 officers and 40 NCOs
240 lieutenants common
equipment
artillery armament: 4 pieces
from 102/35 mm.
12 13.2 mm machine guns.
2 catapults "Gagnotto" at the bow and stern
6:05 2 hangars for aircraft with wings folded (total of 11 seaplanes)
2 deposits for 3 aircraft dismantled each
total aircraft: 17 Macchi seaplanes M.18AR OF 1930
armor
70 mm (vertical)
80 mm (orizzontaleorr)
aircraft
17 seaplanes IMAM Ro.43
( source)
The seaplane carrier Giuseppe Miraglia was built as a transport ship for the State Railways as the City of Messina , but after it was launched December 20, 1923 However, it decided to incorporate it into the Royal Navy to provide logistical support to seaplanes supplied to the cruisers and battleships. His task was to ship factory for service and repair of aircraft and at the same time to carry them in squadrons. The conversion work began January 24, 1925. The unit was equipped with two hangars, one that could hold six in the stern hydroplanes Macchi M.18AR to folding wings and a bow and could receive five airplanes of the same type. Including those on deck, the ship could carry, depending on the model, about twenty aircraft, for the launch of which were installed two catapults and was also capable of laying at sea and recovering seaplanes. To lay aircraft at sea there was installed at the middle of each side opening, under the sky of the hangar, a rail, supported by a jib crane that lasted for nine meter board, while the recovery of the flying boats when the ship she was crossing a tarp was used, which was removed in 1937 following the entry into service of seaplanes IMAM Ro.43.
The ship was also used to transport personnel and materials to. After having been used during the war in Ethiopia for the transport aircraft for East Africa, was later used during the English Civil War. During the Second World War after coming out unscathed from the night of Taranto was used in the Mediterranean. Following the armistice
events from Venice surrendered to the Allies with the rest of the fleet in Malta, where he was employed as a support base for the Italian submarine, only to be used at the end of the conflict, for the repatriation of Italian prisoners and moored Taranto, where it was used again as a barracks ship for the crews of torpedo boats and ship as factory, before being disarmed and permanently decommissioned July 15, 1950.
( source)
Earlier in Royal Navy the same role was first played in a very limited protection from the cruiser Elba adapted to support ship, and especially from Europe ship, which was built in the shipyards of Glasgow, in 1895, and serving as the merchant Fourth name, was purchased by the Navy and converted into seaplane tender in 1915. The ship was 123.2 m long, 14.1 m wide and with a draft of 6m, had a powerplant with a power of 3000HP, which allowed a speed of 12 knots and had a tonnage of 8800 tons. After the conversion work carried out at the Arsenal of La Spezia was armed with two 76mm cannons and could accommodate eight aircraft. After the War world was laid up and decommissioned in 1920.
( source)
RN Elba
Elba The armored cruiser was a unit of the Royal Navy, which has operated since the late nineteenth century to the beginning of the twenties participating in the First World War. The ship was designed by engineer Edward Masdea part of the Region class with sister ships Calabria, Lombardy, Umbria, Etruria, Liguria and Puglia . Ships of this class were originally fitted with two masts sailing, military transformed into trees around 1905. Initially, these units had little success having a lack of protection and being a little faster, but in difficult weather conditions and rough seas proved their quality with a good stability, which favored the precision of artillery shots, the buoyancy and excellent handling in all weather conditions. Their armament was amended several times in 1905, in 1914 and 1915.
The cruiser was built Elba nellArsenale of Castellammare di Stabia, where its hull was set on the slips 22 September 1890. Classified Aries torpedo boat at the time of the launch, which took place August 12, 1893 was classified and protected cruiser after it was completed in 1894 it entered service 27 February 1896.
the beginning of the twentieth century participated in the expedition to China in the Multinational Force which was formed following the Boxer Rebellion. He took part in the first experiments in naval aviation, having been transformed into a mine-laying in the period 1914-15, on the eve of World War I was converted into seaplane, with the removal of the whole main armament and construction of shelters for stay 3 / 4 type seaplane Curtiss "Flying Boat", guests ashore to take off and recover at the end of the flight via the winch. In June 1913, Ministerial Decree was officially constituted in fact the "Service Aircraft of the Royal Navy and on 20 July had been appointed Chief of Staff the Navy, Admiral Paolo Thaon Revel, Naval Air Force advocate, who gave an important impetus to the development and strengthening of the sector. On the eve of the conflict, with the airship considered essential for a more complete conduct of operations at sea was to emerge the need for ships specially equipped to take full advantage of the potential of aircraft and for this reason, the Director Marina decided to transform the ' Elba "in seaplane. In this unit it was flanked another, the merchant ship Fourth, which was purchased and renamed the Royal Navy Europe, whose work of transformation Arsenal were made in a few months of La Spezia.
After the war, the cruiser " Elba" was withdrawn from service and expelled May 15, 1921 before being sold for scrapping 22 March 1923.
( source)
RN Europe
The first Italian unit classified in some way in the category of aircraft carriers had already entered the service during the First World War: it was the seaplane Europe , the result of the conversion of a former merchant ship, the ship Fourth , purchased by a German owner in 1915, to provide the Director of a unit capable of providing the fleet greater depth and speed of exploration, given precisely by seaplanes, compared to what he could do any naval unit. It was the conversion of a merchant ship built by two structures at the bow and stern, which served as a hanger for a maximum of eight flying boats, the ship was, however, lacks equipment for the launch aircraft, which therefore had to be laid in water take off. The official name of the unit was to "transport ship flying boats and submarine support." ( source) A seaplane is a ship equipped with facilities to operate seaplanes. This type of ships were the first type of carrier used and made their appearance just before the First World War.
The first seaplane was Le Foudre of the French Navy in 1911, after the invention dell'idrovolante in 1910 (the French Le Canard ). The Foudre carrying seaplane in a hangar on the main deck from which they were lowered into the water with a crane. Was further amended in November 1913 with a 10 meters flat deck to launch her own seaplane. ( source) 
