Global InformationList of aircraft carriers of Germany information
The German navies—the Kaiserliche Marine, the Reichsmarine, and the Kriegsmarine—all planned to build aircraft carriers, though none would ever enter service. These ships were based on knowledge gained during experimentation with seaplane tenders operated by the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I. Among these were the light cruiser SMS Stuttgart, which was converted to carry three seaplanes,[1] and the armored cruiser Roon, which was to have carried four.[2] These ships did not meet the needs of the High Seas Fleet, however, and so a more ambitious plan to convert the unfinished passenger liner SS Ausonia into an aircraft carrier was proposed in early 1918. The project could not be completed before the war ended in November, however, as resources could not be diverted from the U-boat campaign.
Starting in the mid-1930s, the Reichsmarine began design studies for a new type of aircraft carrier to meet the requirements of the revitalized German fleet; by 1936, these concepts had developed into the Graf Zeppelin class, the first member of which was laid down for the renamed Kriegsmarine in December of that year. A second vessel, designated Flugzeugträger B, followed in 1938, and the Plan Z naval expansion plan envisioned a further two carriers of a new design to be in service by 1945. Despite this, neither of the Graf Zeppelin-class ships would be completed due to the outbreak of World War II in September 1939; work was halted on both in early 1940, and Flugzeugträger B was scrapped shortly thereafter. Work on Graf Zeppelin recommenced in 1942, but was again stopped in early 1943 due to more pressing requirements. During this second period of construction, the Kriegsmarine proposed to convert several passenger ships and two unfinished cruisers into auxiliary aircraft carriers, though none of these were completed either, and by 1945 all had either been sunk or seized as war prizes by the Allied powers.
| Aircraft | The number and type of aircraft carried |
|---|---|
| Displacement | Ship displacement at full combat load[a] |
| Propulsion | Number of shafts, type of propulsion system, and top speed generated |
| Service | The dates work began and finished on the ship and its ultimate fate |
| Laid down | The date the keel began to be assembled |
| Commissioned | The date the ship was commissioned |
- ^ Gröner, pp. 104–105
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Gr88was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Gröner, p. ix
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