40 HOURS OVER NORTH SEA

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 198, 16 May 1919, Page 7

40 HOURS OVER NORTH SEA

—. —* RECORD BY NON-RIGID BRITISH AIRSHIP ' BATTLE AGAINST A GALE During the past few days a remarkable long-distance flight over the North Sea was performed by the. British non-rigid airship N.H.U. The voyage, which took the form oi' a circuit embracing the coasts of Denmark, Sehleswig-Holstein, Heligoland, North Germany, and Holland, was characterised by extremely unfavourable weather conditions. For this reason it ranks amongst the most notable flights thai have ever'been undertaken. Tho total length of the round trip was 1285 miles, the time taken being 40.1- hours. Starring from an airship station on the Firth of Forth' ut 3.45 p.m. on Sunday last, the airship laid a straight course for. Denmark, the wind at that time blowing from the north-west with a force of 15 to 20 miles per hour. The Dogger Bank Noon! Lightship was passed at 1 Oi'clock on Monday morning.' Although the night was intensely dark owing to tho moon being obscured by clouds, so accurate was tho navigation that the airship was not more than a mile out of her course in the 280 miles Uight to this point. From tho Noord onwards the north-westerly wind continued to increase in velocity, and , clilcium (lares were dropped .into the i sea at frequent intervals, from which 1 bearings were taken to determine the increasing allowance for drift. Course was set for Denmark, and the Lemvig Light vessel (370 miles from tho base) was picked up at 5 o'clock on Monday morning.- Turning south the airship then cruised down the coasts of Denmark and Schleswig-Hol-stein towards Heligoland. With sunrise the i weather conditions became worso, and after passing through several small storms and rain squalls in the Heligoland Bight, Heligoland was reached .at 8 o'clock. Passing at a distance of 4 miles from' the island, a new course was set for the Frisian Islands, and at 6 o'clock in the evening tho airship was off Terschelling, the wind having now attained a speed of 30 knots from the north-west. ' ' After leaving the Dutch coast to return to England the airship's troubles commenced. Hourly the wind grew stronger and rougher, and it appeared impossible for.the airship to return to its destination. In addition, other difficulties arose. At midnight one engine broke down, and the airship was forced a considerable distance*to leeward. At this stage it was uncertain whether England could be reached at all, and a landing in France was contemplated by her captain, but eventually it was decided to hold on. in hope of the wind abating. Fortunately, this is what occurred, and a- "landfall" was niado at the last point on the English coast, tho North Foreland. By this time petrol was running short, owing to the. necessity of running at full power earlier in the voyage, and one. engine only was running—this on five cylinders out of six. A landing was successfully effected at an aeroplane ■station close ' I>s. the airship being handled 'by an untrained party of boj mechanics who had never before seen an airship at close quarters. So violent was the wind during the,' last stage of the voyage to England, the gusts reaching a velocity of 40 knots, that the crew had the greatest difficulty in controlling the, airship. Furthermore, all suffered intensely from "seasickness," and owing to this cause pilots and coxswains required relief at very frequent intervals to maintain the navigation of the ship. This flight is particularly noteworthy in view of tho fact that it was carried out entirely '-over the sea. It is the longest non-stop oversea voyage of any British.aircraft, and, as far as is known, is a world's recotil for non-rigid airships.