A seaplane carrier could move aviation stores and maintenance facilities to a sheltered operating area, but it could not launch and recover aircraft continuously with a fleet. It functioned more like a self-propelled air base than a flight-deck carrier, so its aircraft normally operated from the water after the ship anchored. Italy's choice makes sense when naval requirements, Mediterranean geography, and the institutional power of the Regia Aeronautica are considered together. What looks like a technological failure was a decision about mission, geography, and control of aviation.
Chapter · 0:01-2:15
Why an aviation-minded Italy favored seaplane carriers
The Regia Marina relied on mobile seaplane bases instead of developing a conventional carrier during the 1920s and 1930s, despite Italy's strong interest in aviation.