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Messerschmitt Bf 109TIn the fall of 1938, the Technische Amt RLM (Technical Office of
the Reichsluftfahrtministerium or State Ministry of Aviation) requested that
Messerschmitt뭩 Augsburg design bureau draw up plans for a carrier-borne version
of the Bf 109E fighter, to be designated Bf 109T (the "T" standing for Tr?er or
Carrier). The resulting aircraft, nicknamed 'Toni' by its pilots,[27] was powered by a
Daimler-Benz DB 601N 1,175 PS engine, giving it a maximum speed of 568 km/h (353
mph) at 20,000 feet. Armament comprised two fuselage-mounted 7.92 mm (0.312 in)
MG 17 machine guns with two additional MG 17s or 20mm MG FF/M cannons in the
wings.[28]
Wing area was increased through the addition of two .6 m (2 ft 0 in) outer panels,
extending overall span to 11 m (36 ft), and retractable spoilers were fitted to the
upper wing surfaces. This significantly shortened the aircraft뭩 normal take-off and
landing runs, improved low-speed stability and allowed for steeper glide angles.
Four catapult attachment points were added to the fuselage and an arrester hook
to the tail.[29] The arrester hooks were later widened to minimize bending of the
arresting cables when landing. The hooks also tended to bounce against the
fuselage, causing dents. This problem was remedied by incorporating a metal spring
into the design and adding a rubber buffer pad to the rear fuselage.[27]
An under-fuselage ETC rack was fitted for carrying a 300 litres (66 imp gal; 79 US
gal) center-line drop-tank.[30] The undercarriage oleo legs were also strengthened
to better absorb the higher descent rates and greater stresses associated with
carrier landings.[29] Thicker head and armrest padding in the cockpit improved pilot
comfort when making catapult launches. No provision was made for wing-folding on
the Bf 109T as it was considered unnecessary since the aircraft easily fit within the
14 m (46 ft) width of Graf Zeppelin's elevators.[27]
After acceptance by the RLM in early 1939, the project was turned over to Fieseler-
Werke for final details and the conversion of 60 Bf 109E airframes into T-1s. This
order was progressively increased to 155 machines by September but, with work on
Graf Zeppelin's sister carrier, Flugzeugtr?er B, suspended that same month,
planned production reverted to an initial batch of 70 aircraft. By December 1940, the
RLM decided to complete only seven carrier-equipped Bf 109 T-1s and to finish the
remainder as land-based T-2s since work on Graf Zeppelin had ceased back in April
and there appeared to be little likelihood she would then be commissioned any time
soon.[31]
Due to delays in production of the Bf 109E series in mid-1940, design alterations to
the plane's wing spar and Daimler Benz's slow delivery of the promised DB 601N
engines, the first Bf 109 T-1 was not delivered until January 1941. By June, however,
all 70 machines were completed. One T-1 was sent to E-Stelle See in Travem?de
for evaluation and six more were reserved for further testing. The remaining 63 T-2s
were then ferried to Norway via Denmark and served in I/JG 77 and JGr Trondheim
where their short take-off and landing characteristics made them ideally suited to
that country뭩 small windswept airstrips.[32]
At the end of 1941, when interest in completing Graf Zeppelin revived, the surviving
Bf 109 T-2s were withdrawn from front-line service in order to again prepare them
for possible carrier duty. Seven T-2s were rebuilt to T-1 standards and handed over
to the Kriegsmarine on 19 May 1942. By December, a total of 48 Bf 109 T-2s had
been converted back into T-1s. 46 of these were stationed at Pillau in East Prussia
and reserved for use aboard the carrier. By February 1943, however, all work on
Graf Zeppelin had ceased and the aircraft were returned to Luftwaffe service in April.
[32]
[edit] Fieseler Fi 167In competition with Arado, Fieseler Werke submitted a design in
1937 at the request of the Technische Amt for a two-seater multi-purpose carrier
plane capable of performing bombing, torpedo bombing and reconnaissance duties.
Fieseler뭩 submission, the Fieseler Fi 167 (nicknamed 밆ragonfly? was a lean-
looking biplane powered by an inline 1,100 PS Daimler-Benz DB601B engine. This
gave it a maximum speed of 320 km/h (200 mph) and a much sleeker appearance
than Arado뭩 radial-engined entry, the Ar 195. Fieseler's plane featured folding
wings for carrier stowage, an arrester hook, an enclosed cockpit for a crew of two, a
fixed undercarriage (which could be jettisoned in the event of an emergency water
landing by electrically triggering two sets of spring-loaded bolts)[33] and full-span
automatic leading edge slats along the upper and lower wings, with the lower wings
also sporting large trailing edge flaps. These latter features gave the plane
unparalleled stability at low speeds.[34]
A Fieseler Fi 167, the fifth of twelve pre-production machines, banks through the
clouds on a test flight.Armament consisted of a maximum bomb load of one 1,000 kg
(2,200 lb) bomb or a standard 764 kg (1,680 lb) LT F 5b torpedo plus one forward-
firing 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 17 machine mounted over the engine cowling and one
7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun on a flexible mount in the rear cockpit to be operated
by the observer/navigator. Normal operating range (with bomb load) was 1,300 km
(810 mi) but this could be extended to 1,500 km (930 mi) for reconnaissance
missions with the addition of a 300 L (66 imp gal; 79 US gal) external drop-tank.[35]
Comparative testing at the Luftwaffe's Erprobungsstelle Rechlin test facility quickly
demonstrated the Fi 167's superiority to the Ar 195 in all respects, so much so that
Fieseler opted to forego constructing a third prototype in order to begin assembly of
twelve pre-production machines. Since Graf Zeppelin would not be ready for sea
trials until summer 1940, however, work on the pre-production order proceeded at a
desultory pace and it was not until spring 1940 that the first example, Fi 167 A-01,
began flight testing.[33]
When work on Graf Zeppelin was suspended in May 1940, the twelve completed Fi
167s were organized into Erprobungsstaffel 167 for the purpose of conducting
further operational trials. By the time work on the carrier resumed two years later in
May 1942, the Fi 167 was no longer considered adequate for its intended role and
the Technische Amt decided to replace it with a modified torpedo-carrying version of
the Junkers Ju 87D.[33]
[edit] Junkers Ju 87CIn 1938 the Technische Amt decided to include a squadron
(Staffel) of dive-bombers in Graf Zeppelin뭩 air group, the obvious choice being the
combat-proven Junkers Ju 87 Stuka. Work on converting the Ju 87B into the carrier
version Ju 87C began later that year. Pre-production Ju 87Cs had manually folded
wings, reducing carrier stowage width to just 5 m (16 ft); production series aircraft
featured an electrically-actuated wing folding mechanism. Overall wingspan was .6 m
(2 ft 0 in) shorter than the Ju 87B. Catapult attachment points were added to the
lower fuselage and an arrester hook was installed just forward of the tail wheel. The
fuselage and landing gear were also strengthened to better withstand the stresses
of carrier landings. The two propeller-driven sirens normally mounted on the Stuka뭩
fixed undercarriage legs were deleted, which helped reduce drag.[36]
The Ju 87C뭩 fixed landing gear could be jettisoned via explosive charges in the
event it had to ditch over water. This would help minimize the likelihood of the plane
flipping over as it touched down. Flotation bags in the body and wings of the plane
were installed and sealants applied to seams and openings to delay the aircraft뭩
sinking should it be forced to make a water landing, thereby giving the crew
sufficient time to exit the cockpit and deploy the inflatable rubber dinghy stowed on
board for just such emergencies.[36]
Internal fuel stowage was increased with the addition of two auxiliary wing tanks
and could be further augmented by attaching two 300 litres (66 imp gal; 79 US gal)
external drop-tanks to the wing undersides. This extended the aircraft뭩 maximum
range to over 1,100 kilometres (680 mi). In an emergency, all fuel could be dumped
in approximately one minute.[36]
Powered by a Junkers Jumo 211D 1,200 PS engine, the Ju 87C had a top speed of
332 km/h (206 mph). Armament comprised a maximum bomb load of 700 kg (1,500
lb), two fixed forward-firing 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 17 machine guns in the wings
and one flexible 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun mounted in the rear cockpit, manned
by the navigator/radio operator.[37]
Ten Ju 87 C-0 pre-production aircraft were built and sent to the testing facilities at
Rechlin and Travem?de where they underwent extensive service trials, including
catapult launches and simulated deck landings. But of the 170 Ju 87 C-1 ordered,
only a few ever saw completion, suspension of work on Graf Zeppelin in May 1940
resulting in cancellation of the entire order. Existing aircraft and those airframes in
process were eventually converted back into Ju 87 B-2s.[36]
[edit] Junkers Ju 87EWork on developing a torpedo-carrying version of the Ju 87D for
anti-shipping sorties in the Mediterranean had already commenced in early 1942
when the possibility again arose that Graf Zeppelin might be completed. As the
Fieseler Fi 167 was now considered obsolete, the Technische Amt requested that
Junkers modify the Ju 87 D-4 into a carrier-borne torpedo-bomber/recon plane to be
designated Ju 87 E-1. Production aircraft would have electrically-actuated folding
wings and receive the same carrier fittings as applied to the Ju 87C as well as
attachment points for a 764 kg (1,680 lb) LT F 5b torpedo. Consideration was also
given to fitting the aircraft with rocket-assisted take-off gear (RATOG) in order to
shorten its take-off run on the carrier.[38]
Testing was conducted in the spring and summer of 1942 at Erprobungsstelle See in
Travem?de and the results were sufficiently satisfactory that the RLM issued an
order for 115 machines. But when all further work on Graf Zeppelin was halted for
good in February 1943, the entire order was canceled. None of the Ju 87Ds
converted to carry a torpedo were ever used operationally.[38]
[edit] Messerschmitt Me 155By May 1942, when work was ordered resumed on Graf
Zeppelin, the older Bf 109T carrier-borne fighter was considered obsolete.
Consequently, the Technische Amt invited Messerschmitt A.G. to submit new design
proposals for a shipboard fighter designated Me 155. Emphasis was placed on using
current Bf 109 components for ease of manufacturing and to limit the workload on
Messerschmitt's busy design staff. By September 1942 detailed plans were
completed.[39]
The Me 155 utilized a standard Bf 109G airframe wedded to a newly-designed wing,
capable of folding for carrier stowage. The wing retained the same span as that of
the Bf 109G, 11 m (36 ft), however the designers replaced the Bf 109G's narrow
outward-retracting main landing gear with a wide-track inward-retracting
undercarriage, giving the plane more stable landing characteristics. This was
especially desirable in an aircraft expected to negotiate the restricted width of a
pitching carrier deck. Catapult attachment points, an arrester hook and flotation
gear were also added. Proposed armament consisted of an engine-mounted 20 mm
(0.79 in) MG 151 cannon plus two 20 mm MG 151s and two 13 mm (0.51 in) MG 131
machine guns in the wings. Powered by a DB 605A-1 engine rated at 1,475 PS, the
aircraft was expected to attain a top speed of 649 km/h (403 mph) with a calculated
endurance of 1.16 hours (minus external drop-tank).[39]
When it became apparent Graf Zeppelin would not be commissioned for at least
another two years, Messerschmitt was unofficially told to shelve the projected
fighter design. No prototype of the carrier-borne version of the plane was ever
constructed.[39]
that's from Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flugzeugtr%C3%A4ger_A
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