Following the outbreak of the war the company did produce a further 8 catapult examples, the prototype of which was tested by Lieutenant Giulio Reiner who took off from the seaplane carrier RN (Royal Ship) Giuseppe Miraglia on the 9th May 1942. Catapult RE2000s were then embarked on the battleships Vittorio Veneto, Littorio and Roma and also equipped the 1st Naval Forces Squadron. This example is the prototype flown by Warrant Officer Luigi Guerrieri who was forced to ditch due to engine failure off Porto Venere (La Spezia) on the 16th April 1943. Recovered from the seabed on the 4th December 2013 the remains have only undergone cleaning and consolidation work.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Facts from Museum placards, website and internet; occasional typos or incorrect spelling may occur!
Having toured the Troster and Velo Hangars we now enter the Badoni Hangar, which covers the period from the 1930s until the late 1940s. The 60 meter by 60 meter metal hangar was constructed in 1930 by the Badoni Company to provide maintenance space and shelter for the large seaplanes then operating out of the base.