|English | Italiano| Italian Aircraft Carriers by Pierluigi
MalvezziThe history of the Italian aircraft carriers is one of
delayed decisions and postponed opportunities, confrontations,
more or less transparent, between the Marina and the
Aeronautica, and project after project ,none of which was ever
realized until the introduction of the Giuseppe Garibaldi in
1985. World War I and the Birth of the Regia Aeronautica The
first Italian vessel classifiable in any possible way as an
aircraft carrier had already entered service during World War I.
This was the hydroplane tender Europa, which was the result of
the conversion of the merchant ship Quarto, acquired from a
German ship owner in 1915, and designed to provide a greater
range for reconnaissance and a higher speed than naval units.
The alterations to this ship consisted of two hangers built on
the bow and stern capable of hosting 8 seaplanes. The ship was
not equipped with any machinery capable of launching the planes,
which therefore had to be lowered into