A KM photo

[Mike Kenny]

Hi,

Well, maybe images are deceptive. There's definitely a ship there, but maybe there is more merging going on with the background than I initially thought - or at least I can see more possibility for that now. A camouflaged freighter has been suggested offline (but, big R, I'm rejecting the time warp theory! bad movie too - the tomcats SHOULD have jumped the zeros!). I don't think it could be a Japanese carrier based on the rest of the pics in the album and the European axis powers only had the uncommissioned (but at one stage 85% complete) Graf Zeppelin to chose from - and it never made it to the Med. The white buildings do seem to indicate the Med somewhere and some other shots indicate fairly open water with a large swell. If anyone has details of service for the two Flak ships mentioned, that may help down time and place. My references don't go into that much detail.

Regards
Mike K

PS: I forgot to attach an additional scan.

[TerryG]

Could the shot be taken in Istanbul / the Bosphorus?

[Cliff Franklin]

I have seen this photo before. It was taken in the Italian port of Genoa, and the large ship in the background is the Italian aircraft carrier Aquila. This vessel was converted from the liner Roma, and was about 98% complete when Italy surrended in September 1943. By all accounts she was a very innovative design. Some of her equipment, such as catapults, came from the German carrier Graf Zeppelin. Her aircraft complement would have been made up of Reggiane fighters, which were actually built, but obviously never served on the carrier.

After the surrender, she was taken over by the Germans, who did nothing with her before the wars end. She was damaged by Allied bombing, and later sunk by Italian chariots in April 1945. Post war, the Italians thought about rebuilding her, but decided she was too badly damaged and she was scrapped.

Further information can be found here:
http://www.regiamarina.net/
cheers
Cliff

[Laurence Strong]

Way to go Cliff This again shows what a gem this forum is, Someone always know's the answer

[Eric JB]

Thanks Cliff, all is clear now, yours Eric-Jan

Way to go Cliff This again shows what a gem this forum is, Someone always know's the answer

[Mike Kenny]

Hi,

Wow Cliff, that's excellent. Many many thanks for that info. To be honest, I didn't even realise the Italians had a carrier!

Have you seen this exact same photo before? I only ask because it seems to be an original from a private photo album - of course it's always possible (maybe even probable) that whoever took the photos had copies made for other crewmembers.

The album this picture came in actually has quite a few photos of "F-boots" / "F-lighters" (the correct term for the flak barges - the Italians used different nomenclature - ?MDRs, can't remember). Searching the net, there is extremely little information I could find on them and very few images, although with numbers up in the 600s they could not have been uncommon. The album has about 20 F-boot related pics in it. Should I show some more?

Regards
Mike K

PS: Cliff, welcome to the forum! Great first post too!

[Simon O.]

Mike

You're right that there's relatively little information on these and the other small craft of the KM such as the R-boote, VP-boote, U-Jäger and even the minesweepers. It seems unfair when you see the huge amounts written about the more popular and glamorous U-bootwaffe and capital ships. In many ways these flottillas were the backbone of the KM's surface fleet and saw a lot of action throughout the war and on all fronts. Truly the forgotten men of the KM.

As for the unit. How about the 2 or 4 Landungsflottille?
http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg...g/lfl-mitt.htm

[seacon]

The picture was taken in the North Western Italian port of Genova (Genoa in English). The aircraft carrier is the Aquila, one of two converted liners, almost complete at the time of the 1943 surrender, was captured by the Germans that removed all the reusable equipment and left the empty hulk sitting in the harbour waiting for scuttling as a blockship. Aquila survived several bombings with little damage and a couple of unsuccessfull sinking attempts at her mooring stations by Italian resistance and a team of Navy Special Forces in 1945. At the liberation of Genoa on April 28th 1945, the carrier had broke loose and was floating in the middle of the harbour, close to her berthing. To prevent any "unscheduled" sinking in that position, a Royal Navy team tied her back to the pier heaving her by hand!!! IWM has a photo of this event. After the war was over, Aquila was towed to La Spezia. The Peace Threaty, economic and political considerations sealed her fate. The carrier was scrapped in 1952.
Anyone interested in more pics and info about the Aquila can contact me.
regards
m