OUR “ZEPPELINS”

Hokitika Guardian, 30 January 1919, Page 3

OUR “ZEPPELINS”

WHAT THEY HAVE DONE. LONDON, Decfimjjer 5. It is now possible to tell the story of R.A.F. activities during the war in the development of airships. As these craft have worked almost entirely with the Navy, their work has necessarily been kept as secret as the other operations of the Silent Service. On the outbreak of war th t » Navy had 7 airships, all of tl)e non-rigid type. Oil October 31,19.18, the ji.umlier was 103, including rigids and non-ri'gkls. During the war fours types of non-rigid airships have been constructed in Great Britain—Parseval, Submarine Scout, Coastal, and North Sea, Small S.S. ships were first constructed in 1915, and at once proved their value. An improved class known as S.S. Zero held the field until the advent of the S.S. Twin in 1917. Its cubic capacity is 70,000 ft. it s length 145 ft., and its greatest diameter 29ft. The ear carries a crew of three. The record flight for a Zero lasted for 53 hours 55 minutes. The coastal class held 5 men. Airships of this type did most ot the long-dist-ance patrols during the last t'vo years of the war and were, largely employed in convoying ships from beyond the Scilly Isles up the Channel. The “North Sea” type tv as designed as a scout to act with the Fleet or to entry out patrols of 20 Hours . Its envelope has a capacity of 360,000 c.f.. nrjd the car can caury a crew of 20, the normal crew being ten. Since the signing of the armistice a North Sea ship has made a flight of 61 hours PI minutes, which is a record for a 11011-rig and is believed to have bce'n surpassed only by two performances of German Zeppelins (rigid airships). The length is 262 ft., greatest diameter 55ft and it is fitted with two 275-h.p. Eagle or two 260-h.p. Fiat engines. For the first two years of the war we were some 12 years behind Germany in the construction of rigid airships. By January 1, 1918 however, four British rigids were in commission. This type is composed of frames of duralumin girders. The whole framework is enveloped in a fabric cover. Inside are the gasbags, which are thus protected from the action of sun and moisture. No 23, which has recently been seen several times over London is 540 ft. long and has a cubic capacity of approximately 1,000,0000 ft. A more recent British rigid has a capacity of half as much again, while others larger still are on the stocks.

During the war the functions of airships have been two—namely, to combat the submarine and to act as scouts for the Fleet. Bomb-dropping raids over land were not attempted by British airships and were only considered of minor importance oy the Germans. Rigid airships are the "best of scouts for a: fleet. The Germans owned their escape after the Battle of Jutland to their Zeppelins. It was (Zeppelins which made possible lue escape of the flotilla which raided Scarborough on Faster Monday. 1016 and it was Zeppelins which enabled U-boats to torpedo H. M. S. Nottingham and Falmouth. While on patrol the airships particularly the s;.S. type were able to dcstrov numerous submarines, cither bv using their own bombs or by summoning surface craft. They were also able to direct vessels out ot a danger zone. Airships are not so independent of weather as are heavier-than-aircraft, hut it is interesting to note that in 1918 up to the signing of (he armistice ther ( - were only nine days on which no flying took place. 'The following table shows the hours down from 1016 to October 31 1918:

Honrs. 1915 330 1010 7 ’ 078 ,917 22,380 1018 53,551 The total casualties to airship personnel during the war were 230, of which 18 were fatalities due to flying accidents and enemy action. For every fn tali tv 12,584 miles were flown.