Giuseppe Miraglia was laid down in 1921 as the train ferryCittà di Messina, intended for use by the Italian State Railway Company, but was acquired by the Regia Marina soon after her launch in 1923. Works to convert her into a seaplane carrier began immediately; in 1925, with the ship nearly complete, Giuseppe Miraglia capsized during a storm. Salvaged under the direction of Umberto Pugliese, she was repaired and commissioned in November 1927.[1]
During World War II, after surviving the Battle of Taranto, she was employed in the Mediterranean theatre. After the Armistice she sailed (along with much of the Italian fleet) to Malta for internment.
After the British motor torpedo boat depot ship HMS Vienna was straddled by bombs and damaged beyond repair during the Luftwaffe bombing raid on the Italian port of Bari on 2 December 1943, and the subsequent mustard gas disaster, Giuseppe Miraglia was impressed by the Royal Navy as temporary replacement.[citation needed]
After the war Giuseppe Miraglia was used to repatriate Italian prisoners-of-war, then spent the rest of her career as a barrack ship and workshop at Taranto until her scrapping in 1950.[1]
Aircraft facilities
Giuseppe Miraglia could carry some 17 seaplanes (originally Macchi M.18, later IMAM Ro.43) and one Reggiane 2000 "catapultabile". The ship was equipped with two catapults. Seaplanes could be retrieved by means of large doors and cranes at the sides of the hangar.
