aquila (azur lane)
Azur Lane's personification of the Italian Navy aircraft carrier Aquila.
Character design by necomi.
History
She was originally an ocean liner (SS Roma) until she had her aircraft carrier conversion start and was renamed due to the fact that there was already a battleship under construction with the same name in late 1941, therefore making her the first Italian-produced aircraft carrier. The reason for this being that the lack of an aircraft carrier was seen as the reason for the loss of three Italian heavy cruisers (Zara, Fiume and Pola) in the Battle of Cape Matapan. This would continue for two years until work on her was halted due to the Armistice of Cassibile in September 1943, thus leaving her unfinished.
She was nearly completed on September 8th of the same year, but was confiscated by Germany and was put under guard, and was eventually damaged by an Allied air attack on Genoa in June 16, 1944. Afterwards on April 19, 1945 she was partially scuttled by Italian commando divers. Aquila would then be towed to La Spezia in 1949 where completing her or giving her another use was put into consideration, but she was eventually scrapped in 1952.
Her design was influenced by Graf Zeppelin, even receiving the catapults and arresting gear originally meant for GZ's sister Peter Strasser.