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A submarine aircraft carrier is a submarine equipped with aircraft for observation or attack missions. These submarines saw their most extensive use during World War II, although their operational significance remained rather small. The most famous of them were the Japanese I-400 class submarine and the , although small numbers of similar craft were built for other nations' navies as well. Most operational submarine aircraft carriers, with the exception of the I-400 and AM classes, used their aircraft for reconnaissance and observation. This is in contrast to the typical surface aircraft carrier, whose main function is serving as a base for offensive aircraft. ==Early history (World War I)== Germany was the first nation to experiment with submarine aircraft carriers, initiated by the Imperial German Naval Air Service commander Oberleutnant zur See Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière who commanded a unit of two Friedrichshafen FF.29 reconnaissance seaplanes in Zeebrugge. One of the first U-Boats to arrive at the Zeebrugge base was Kapitänleutnant Walther Forstmann's , which was to play the role of submarine aircraft carrier. The unarmed FF-29 seaplanes were modified to carry bombs. On 25 December 1914, one of the newly modified aircraft flew across the English Channel and up the River Thames, dropping bombs on the outskirts of London, although they caused only minor damage. Although pursued by British fighters, it returned to base safely. On this first bombing mission it was apparent that the aircraft suffered more from a lack of range. Encouraged by this success, Arnauld and Forstmann theorized that they could increase the range by carrying the aircraft off the British coast on the deck of submarine in a takeoff position, then launching an aircraft by partially submerging, allowing the seaplane to float off. On 15 January 1915, ''U-12'' left Zeebrugge with a single bomb-armed FF-29 on its deck. The submarine left the harbor, seemingly dwarfed by the wingspan of the biplane, which stretched almost ⅓ of the length of the small coastal patrol submarine. As soon as ''U-12'' passed the safety of the breakwater however, heavy swells threatened to damage the aircraft and Forstmann ordered the immediate launch of the seaplane. The sub's forward tanks were flooded and despite the pitching of the boat, the seaplane floated off the deck without much difficulty and took off. Arnauld originally intended to rendezvous with the sub, but decided against it. After gaining altitude, Arnauld left for the British coast which he apparently flew along undetected before returning to Zeebrugge. Although the aircraft had been carried out to sea and had safely floated off the submarine's deck it was obvious improvements were needed in the procedure and setup. Arnauld and Forstmann proposed further experiments to the German Naval Command, but were vetoed as their project was considered impractical. The plans were reinvestigated in 1917 in the hope that they would increase the striking power of new German subs such as the long-range cruiser-type ''Unterseeboote'', which were to be equipped with small scouting seaplanes that could be assembled and dismantled onboard and stored in special compartments on deck - but the idea was abandoned as the war came to an end. Two of the aircraft designs created for that purpose were the biplane Hansa Brandenburg W.20 and low-wing monoplane Luftfahrzeug Gesellschaft L.F.G. Stralsund V.19. The first type was designed in 1917 for use aboard the Cruiser submarines that never went into service. The British also experimented with the aircraft-carrying submarine concept when was fitted out in a manner similar to the German U-Boat but for the purpose of intercepting German airships as they crossed the North Sea. It was capable of launching two Sopwith Schneider floatplanes in 1916. However, just as in the German experiment, the aircraft were carried unprotected on the deck and the submarine was unable to submerge without losing them. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Submarine aircraft carrier」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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