Kilcullen Diary: National Play Day 2026

DID YOU KNOW?

A prototype 'aircraft carrier' made of ice was built during WW2 for a proposal to build a fleet of them as refuelling points for aircraft guarding mid-Atlantic convoys of supplies to England from America. They would have been cheaper to build than steel ships, and would have allowed air protection in a gap where aircraft didn't have the range from land bases. The ice was called pykrete and was a mix of ice and wood pulp that melted very slowly. However, the idea was scrapped with the arrival of longer-range aircraft like the B-24 Liberator, and the arrival of traditionally built escort carriers for the convoys.