Moderator: Community Manager
[Post Reply] [*]  Page 1 of 1  [ 8 posts ] 
Author Message
Tobius
Post subject: German aircraft carrier AusoniaPosted: January 30th, 2017, 5:32 pm
Offline
Posts: 545
Joined: July 21st, 2015, 2:10 pm
German aircraft carrier, never weres;
DG_Alpha wrote:
Quote:
Quoting Tobius:
2. If you have never operated a seaplane component from ships, (and the Germans didn't, they used land bases in WW I) then you don't know enough about ship to plane handling to understand how cranky ships are, what aviation at sea means and why Glenn Curtiss is so important to all three carrier using navies of the era.
.
Not entirely true. The Germans operated several seaplane carriers (converted freighters) and experimented with ship-borne aircraft from warships. As far as I know the reason to convert several cruisers into cruiser-carriers was so to have a carrying ship that could keep up with the fleet. Lets also not forget Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Reimpell: In his thesis in 1917 he suggested the conversion of the liner Ausonia into a hybrid seaplane-land aircraft carrier, a design that had many modern features, like an island structure.

[ img ]
I was intrigued. I thought the Germans had decided after they failed to convert Stuttgart into a viable seaplane tender, that they had given up the idea to concentrate on U-boats, then DG_Alpha sent me looking for Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Reimpell, (Lieutenant in the KM). Boy; was I surprised!

If that is a true proposed rendition of the Ausonia, then the Germans did not understand the aircraft carrier at all. No elevator and an independent takeoff ramp (just like the takeoffs the Japanese included in the original Akagi before Sempill set them straight). Just bow splume would have made takeoffs impossible from that ramp.

Nice rendition by the way. I would have to ask permission from DG_Alpha before I tried any "historical" WW I valid alterations. One trip into the Baltic and the KM would have learned the Birmingham lesson.


Top
[Profile] [Quote]
RegiaMarina1939
Post subject: Re: German aircraft carrier AusoniaPosted: January 30th, 2017, 9:02 pm
Offline
Posts: 423
Joined: January 12th, 2016, 8:57 pm
Location: Wilmington, North Carolina
I think your image has been resized. Nice drawing though!

_________________
Best regards,

RegiaMarina1939


Top
[Profile] [Quote]
Tobius
Post subject: Re: German aircraft carrier AusoniaPosted: January 30th, 2017, 10:16 pm
Offline
Posts: 545
Joined: July 21st, 2015, 2:10 pm
It is not my image. I want to be clear that it is DG_Alpha's work, so the credit for that good work is ALL his.


Top
[Profile] [Quote]
RegiaMarina1939
Post subject: Re: German aircraft carrier AusoniaPosted: January 31st, 2017, 3:40 am
Offline
Posts: 423
Joined: January 12th, 2016, 8:57 pm
Location: Wilmington, North Carolina
Tobius wrote:
It is not my image. I want to be clear that it is DG_Alpha's work, so the credit for that good work is ALL his.
Ah, well whatever the case it looks like it has been resized a bit.

_________________
Best regards,

RegiaMarina1939


Top
[Profile] [Quote]
Krakatoa
Post subject: Re: German aircraft carrier AusoniaPosted: January 31st, 2017, 4:50 am
Offline
Posts: 2504
Joined: July 1st, 2014, 12:20 am
Location: New Zealand
Contact: Website
RegiaMarina1939 - the drawing is available in the main archive in the German Never Were folder under:

CV Flugzeugdampfer I 1918.png


Top
[Profile] [Quote]
Hood
Post subject: Re: German aircraft carrier AusoniaPosted: January 31st, 2017, 8:54 am
Offline
Posts: 7150
Joined: July 31st, 2010, 10:07 am
Tobius wrote:
If that is a true proposed rendition of the Ausonia, then the Germans did not understand the aircraft carrier at all. No elevator and an independent takeoff ramp (just like the takeoffs the Japanese included in the original Akagi before Sempill set them straight). Just bow splume would have made takeoffs impossible from that ramp.
It's no worse than many earlier aircraft carriers, indeed its a better layout than several British designs of the same period (HMS Furious for instance).
I can't remember whether I've seen a plan of the design with a lift, but probably the Germans thought it would be adequate to keep with the usual derricks used by seaplane carriers. I suspect her main role was to operate seaplanes rather than wheeled aircraft on a regular basis, with allowance for a couple of scouts to land. In that instance she is more similar to the British seaplane carrier conversions with bow ramps. Ausonia is an amalgam of British practice but who knows what she might of looked like if completed in 1919 as further changes may have been made with experience and knowledge of the new flush decker Vindictive and Argus.
Also bear in mind this was not an official naval design, Dr.-Ing. Reimpell's thesis was probably just that, an interesting theoretical design that might have been taken up but so many designs have remained in theses and papers over the years.

_________________
Hood's Worklist
English Electric Canberra FD
Interwar RN Capital Ships
Super-Darings
Never-Were British Aircraft


Top
[Profile] [Quote]
Tobius
Post subject: Re: German aircraft carrier AusoniaPosted: January 31st, 2017, 6:27 pm
Offline
Posts: 545
Joined: July 21st, 2015, 2:10 pm
That was my thinking. It had to be primarily a seaplane carrier. But even at that, the crane lift and handling arrangements were extremely clumsy. (stacking of hangers, one atop the other.)

Nearest bag of mistakes to which I can compare is the Langley. That design went through about a half dozen flight deck and hanger arrangements before the arrestor cables and lifts worked for traps and flight deck ops cycle. Held up progress on Sara and Lex. An interesting what if, would be if the Germans took Seydlitz after Jutland and converted her.


Top
[Profile] [Quote]
RegiaMarina1939
Post subject: Re: German aircraft carrier AusoniaPosted: January 31st, 2017, 8:40 pm
Offline
Posts: 423
Joined: January 12th, 2016, 8:57 pm
Location: Wilmington, North Carolina
Krakatoa wrote:
RegiaMarina1939 - the drawing is available in the main archive in the German Never Were folder under:

CV Flugzeugdampfer I 1918.png
Cool. Thanks. I remember seeing it somewhere a while back.

_________________
Best regards,

RegiaMarina1939


Top
[Profile] [Quote]
Display: Sort by: Direction:
[Post Reply]  Page 1 of 1  [ 8 posts ]  Return to “Never-Built Designs”

Jump to: 

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 21 guests


The team | Delete all board cookies | All times are UTC


cron
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited
[ GZIP: Off ]