Aircraft Carriers

German "Graf Zeppelin" Class

	The new German Navy ("Kriegsmarine" KM) started at the early thirties with the design of an aircraft carrier. Two carriers of the Graf Zeppelin class had been laid down in 1936 should become the spine of the new German Navy in the fourties.
	Due the lack of suitable navy planes it was decided to equip the carrier with modified planes of the Luftwaffe. ME109 (fighter) and JU87 (dive bomber) were the fist choice, later they decided to use additional ME262 (jet fighter) and AR196 (reconnaissance).

	Technical Data
	Laid down: Displacement: Dimensions: Propulsion: Max. Speed: Range: Crew:	1936 24,114 / 34,000 ts 262.5 × 31.5 × 8.5 m 200,000 SHP; 4 BBC geared turbines, 16 La Mont boilers 33.8 kts 8,000 nm @ 19 kts 1,760 (without air personnel)
	Tactical Data
	Main Armament: AA: Armour: Planes: Flight deck: Radar:	16×150 cal 55 [8x2] 12×105 [6x2]; 22×37 [11x2]; 28×20 belt: 80 - 60 - 30 - 17 42/? / 2 catapults; 18xJu87; 20-25xMe109; Ar196 240×27 m ?

	Graf Zeppelin - 1936-12-08: laid down at Deutsche Werke Kiel; launched; 1939-10: completion under restriction allowed; 1940-10-29: completion stopped, ship artillery (150mm) shipped to Norway for coastal batteries. Jul 40: hull towed to Gotenhafen; 1941-12: completion succeded with restrictions; 1942-05: restrictions removed; 1942-12: towed to Kiel; 1942-02: final order to stop the completion. The German Navy had given up to built an aircraft carrier; April 43: brought to Stettin and anchored at Stettin habour at shallow water; 1945-04-25: scuttled by German forces; 1947-03/07: raised by Soviet Navy. Analyzed by Soviet technicians and scuttled by at the Baltic Sea by torpedoes**. See also: "Graf Zeppelin" by Jürgen Gust " The Graf Zeppelin Page" by Michael Emmerich (check link) "The Graf Zeppelin"
	Peter Strasser (?) - laid down at Germania, Kiel; never completed

	Quellen/Sources: GG, BK, SM 2/97** Updated: 11/29/06 © hgs 10/98