The works concerned above all the center-aft area of the ship, with the landing of the guns and the construction of a platform a little less than 30 me raised above the bridge deck, and a large canopy aft of the second funnel.
The result of the transformation works was summed up in the ability to transport, move and operate a squadron of three to four Curtiss FB seaplanes as well as a Draken aerostat for observation, machines of American and Germanic construction respectively. The canopy was closed laterally by two waterproof tarpaulins that allowed a minimum shelter from the weather to a couple of aircraft and allowed the execution of limited maintenance interventions. In essence, the Elba represented a low cost and limited risk choice and a clear demonstration of the substantially subordinate role to battleships that the navies of the time gave to the first experiments in the field of embarked aviation.
Source: Military Navy
