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FIGHTING SHIPS OF THE WORLD
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AIRCRAFT CARRYING SHIPS
ELBE aircraft carriers


Ships


Name No Yard No Builder Laid down Launched Comp Fate
Elbe (ex-Potsdam)   497 Blohm & Voss, Hamburg // Blohm & Voss, Kiel 1934 16.1.1935 6.1936 // --- cancelled 2.2.1943, accommodation ship
Jade (ex-Gneisenau)   893 A G Weser, Bremen // KMW Wilhelmshaven 1934 17.5.1935 1.1936 // --- cancelled 25.11.1942, personnel transport


Technical data


Displacement standard, t

Elbe: 17527

Jade: 18160

Displacement full, tElbe: 23500
Length, m

Elbe: 189.0 wl 203.0 oa

Jade: 191.0 wl 203.0 oa

Breadth, m

26.8 wl 27.0 fd

Draught, m

8.85 deep load

No of shafts

2

Machinery

Elbe: 2 electric motors, 2 Blohm & Voss / SSW turbine-generators, 4 Benson boilers

Jade: 2 sets Deschimag geared steam turbines, 4 Wagner boilers

Power, h. p.

26000

Max speed, kts

21

Fuel, t

oil 4570

Endurance, nm(kts)9000(19)
Armour, mmflight deck: 20, hangar sides: 15 - 10
Armament

6 x 2 - 105/60 SK C/33, 5 x 2 - 37/80 SK C/30, 8 x 4 - 20/65 C/38, 24 aircraft (Bf109T fighters, Ju87C, Fi 167 diving bombers)

Electronic equipment3x FuMO 21 radars
Complement883 - 900


Air group


Year Fighters diving bombers
1943 (planned) 12 Bf109T 12 Ju87C


Standard scale images


<i>Elbe</i>
Elbe


Aircraft facilities

 (fd - 5,022 m², ha - 2,664 m² / 15,078 m³): Flight deck: 186.0 x 27.0 m. Hangar: 148.0 x 18.0 x ? m. Two lifts, each (15.2 x 14.3 m, 6.5 t). There were 2 catapults of K-252 type. Aircraft fuel stowage: 100 t. 

Project history

Decision to convert passenger liners Potsdam and Gneisenau to aircraft carriers was dated from May 1942, works on Potsdam started in December but they were cancelled in February 1943 and ship was used as accommodation. She was taken by Britain in June 1946 and renamed Empire Fowey. Works on Gneisenau never really started, she was reclassified as personnel transport and sunk by mine 2.5.1943 .

Ship protection

Flight deck would had 20mm and hangar sides 15-10mm protection. There was primitive anti-torpedo protection consisted of bulges and thin bulkheads.