Italy enters World War II. It has a massive, modern fleet of battleships and cruisers. It dominates the central Mediterranean. But it lacks a single aircraft carrier. Why? Because the Italian high command, and Benito Mussolini himself, basically thought Italy was one giant, "unsinkable" aircraft carrier. They figured land-based planes from Sicily and Puglia could cover the whole sea.
They were wrong.
By the time the Regia Marina realized that British torpedo bombers were tearing them apart, it was almost too late. The Italian aircraft carrier Aquila was the desperate, ambitious, and ultimately tragic solution to that massive strategic blunder. It wasn't built from scratch; it was a Frankenstein’s monster of a ship, born from the hull of a luxury ocean liner.
The Birth of a Steel Ghost
The Aquila started its life as the SS Roma, a trans-Atlantic liner. In 1941, the Italian Navy took over the hull and began one of the most complex conversions in naval history. This wasn't just slapping a wooden deck on top of a boat. They had to cut the ship apart.
Engineers added deep bulges to the hull to handle the weight and provide stability. They filled those bulges with reinforced concrete—yes, concrete—to act as armor against torpedoes. The ship’s original engines were tossed out. In their place, they installed the machinery intended for two Capitani Romani-class cruisers. This gave the Italian aircraft carrier Aquila a projected top speed of 30 knots. That’s fast. Fast enough to operate with the main fleet and outrun most threats.
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But building a carrier involves more than just speed. You need a way to get planes into the air and back down again. Since Italy had zero experience with this, they looked to Germany. The Germans were busy failing to finish their own carrier, the Graf Zeppelin, but they shared their technology. The Aquila was fitted with two German-made compressed air catapults and five arrestor wires.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Aircraft
A carrier is only as good as its wing. There’s a common misconception that Italy was going to use standard land-based fighters and just "hope for the best." Not true. They actually developed a specific naval version of the Reggiane Re.2001.
The Re.2001 OR (Organizzazione Roma) was a sleek, capable machine. It had a powerful Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine. To make it work on the Italian aircraft carrier Aquila, they strengthened the airframe and added an arrestor hook. Interestingly, the wings didn't fold. This was a huge design flaw. Because the wings were fixed, the hangar could only hold 26 planes. To fix this, the Italians came up with a wild idea: they would hang an additional 15 planes from the ceiling of the hangar. If you include the planes parked on the deck, the Aquila could carry about 51 aircraft. It was a crowded, dangerous, but clever way to maximize a cramped space.
The September 1943 Disaster
By mid-1943, the Aquila was nearly 90% finished. The engines had been tested. The catapults were being calibrated. Then, the Armistice happened.
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Italy surrendered to the Allies on September 8, 1943. Chaos followed. German troops immediately moved to occupy northern Italy, including Genoa, where the Italian aircraft carrier Aquila was docked. The Italian crew tried to sabotage the ship, but the Germans took control before they could do catastrophic damage.
The ship sat there. A massive, rusting prize that the Germans couldn't use and the Allies didn't want the Germans to have. It became a target. On June 16, 1944, Allied bombers hit the ship, damaging it significantly. But the real drama happened in 1945.
The Secret Mission of the Chariots
The Germans planned to sink the Aquila in the mouth of the Genoa harbor. This would have blocked the port and made it useless for the advancing Allies. To stop this, the Co-belligerent Italian Navy (the ones fighting with the Allies) launched a daring commando raid.
On the night of April 19, 1945, Italian frogmen using "Chariot" human torpedoes infiltrated Genoa harbor. These men were experts. They placed explosive charges under the hull of the Italian aircraft carrier Aquila. The explosion didn't sink her, but it damaged the ship enough that the Germans couldn't move her to block the harbor. It was a weirdly poetic end: Italian divers attacking their own pride and joy to save an Italian city.
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Why the Aquila Still Matters in Naval History
Looking back, the Aquila is a masterclass in "what if." If she had been ready in 1940, the Battle of Matapan might have gone differently. The British Mediterranean Fleet wouldn't have had a monopoly on naval air power.
But the ship also serves as a warning about technical hubris. You can’t just decide to be a carrier power overnight. The Italians struggled with everything from fuel line layouts to the lack of specialized naval pilots. Even if the ship had sailed, it's unlikely the Italian air force (Regia Aeronautica) and the Navy would have cooperated well enough to make it effective. They spent years arguing over who should own the planes. Sound familiar? Inter-service rivalry is a universal constant.
After the war, the half-sunken hull was raised and towed to La Spezia. There were brief, optimistic talks about finishing her for the new Italian Republic, but the money wasn't there. Italy was broken. The Italian aircraft carrier Aquila was finally scrapped in 1952.
Actionable Insights for Military Historians and Enthusiasts
If you're researching the Regia Marina or Axis naval technology, keep these specific nuances in mind to separate fact from popular myth:
- Study the Re.2001 OR specs: Don't confuse it with the standard Re.2001. Look for the specific "G" series trials conducted at Perugia and Guidonia; these test reports prove the Italians were much closer to operational naval aviation than most people realize.
- Examine the engine output: The use of cruiser engines in a liner hull was revolutionary for the time. Compare the power-to-weight ratio of the Aquila to the British Illustrious-class to see why the Italian ship was technically superior in terms of sheer speed.
- Evaluate the "Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier" doctrine: Read the pre-war writings of Admiral Giuseppe Cavagnari. It explains why the Italian high command ignored carriers until the tragedy at Taranto forced their hand.
- Visit the sources: If you're ever in Italy, the Museo Tecnico Navale in La Spezia holds some of the best surviving artifacts and technical drawings of the Regia Marina’s carrier projects.
The story of the Aquila isn't just about a boat. It's about a nation realizing too late that the world had changed. It was a high-tech marvel built by people who didn't fully believe in it until it was already over.