USS Akron (ZRS-4) in flight, November 2, 1931

An airship or dirigible is a buoyant lighter-than-air aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air. Unlike aerodynamic vehicles such as fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters which stay aloft by moving an airfoil through the air in order to produce lift, aerostatic craft such as airships and balloons stay aloft by filling a large cavity with lighter than air gas. Most currently in service are blimps, while a few semi-rigid airships with a fixed keel exist. Airships with a full skeleton, such as the massive Zeppelin transoceanic models, are now a thing of the past. Image File history File links USS_Akron_in_flight,_nov_1931. ... Image File history File links USS_Akron_in_flight,_nov_1931. ... USS Akron (ZRS-4) was a rigid airship of the United States Navy. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... In physics, buoyancy is the upward force on an object produced by the surrounding fluid (i. ... Lighter than air gases are buoyant in air because they have a density that is less than the density of air. ... “Flying Machine” redirects here. ... The Trikke is a Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) Automobiles are among the most commonly used engine powered vehicles. ... Airplane and Aeroplane redirect here. ... For other uses, see Helicopter (disambiguation). ... For the kite, see foil kite. ... The lift force, lifting force or simply lift is a mechanical force generated by solid objects as they move through a fluid. ... A hot air balloon is prepared for flight by inflation of the envelope with propane burners A hot air balloon takes off The balloon has just landed and is being pulled nearer to a road for deflation A balloon is a type of aircraft that remains aloft due to its... The expression lighter than air refers to objects, usually aircraft, that are buoyant in air because they have an average density that is less than that of air (usually because they contain gases that have a density that is lower than that of air). ... For other uses, see Gas (disambiguation). ... Blimp can refer to: a non-rigid airship as opposed to a rigid airship (e. ... This is an article about Zeppelin airships. ...

Airships were the first aircraft to make controlled, powered flight. They were widely used prior to the 1940s. Their use decreased over time as their capabilities were surpassed by those of airplanes. A series of high-profile accidents, including the 1937 burning of the hydrogen-filled Hindenburg near Lakehurst, New Jersey, furthered their decline. Airships are still used today in certain niche applications however, such as advertising and as a camera platform for sporting events. General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... The Hindenburg redirects here. ... Lakehurst is a borough located in Ocean County, New Jersey. ...

Terminology

Look up airship, dirigible in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

In many countries, airships are also known as dirigibles from the French dirigeable, meaning "steerable." The first airships were called dirigible balloons. Over time, the word balloon was dropped from the phrase. In the modern usage, balloon refers to buoyant aircraft that generally rely on wind currents for movement, though vertical movement can be controlled in both. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... A hot air balloon is prepared for flight by inflation of the envelope with propane burners A hot air balloon takes off The balloon has just landed and is being pulled nearer to a road for deflation A balloon is a type of aircraft that remains aloft due to its...

The term zeppelin is a genericised trademark that originally referred to airships manufactured by the Zeppelin Company. Their crafts' names were usually prefixed with the word Luftschiff, German for "airship". This is an article about Zeppelin airships. ... A genericized trademark (Commonwealth English genericised trade mark), sometimes known as a generic trade mark, generic descriptor or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name which is often used as the colloquial description for a particular type of product or service as a result of widespread popular or cultural... Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH is a German company which, during the early 20th century, was a leader in the design and manufacture of rigid airships. ...

In modern common usage, the terms zeppelin, dirigible and airship are used interchangeably for any type of rigid airship, with the terms blimp or airship alone used to describe non-rigid airships. Although the blimp also qualifies as a "dirigible", the term is seldom used with blimps. In modern technical usage, airship is the term used for all aircraft of this type, with zeppelin referring only to aircraft of that manufacture, and blimp referring only to non-rigid airships. Blimp can refer to: a non-rigid airship as opposed to a rigid airship (e. ...

The term airship is sometimes informally used to mean any machine capable of atmospheric flight.

There is often some confusion around the term aerostat with regard to airships. This confusion arises because aerostat has two different meanings. One meaning of aerostat refers to all craft that remain aloft using buoyancy. In this sense, airships are a type of aerostat. The other, more narrow and technical meaning of aerostat refers only to tethered or moored balloons. In this second technical sense, airships are distinct from aerostats. This airship/aerostat confusion is often exacerbated by the fact that both airships and aerostats have roughly similar shapes and comparable tail fin configurations, although only airships have motors. Uncrewed aerostats can carry instruments and sensors for long durations that are impractical for humans and other aircraft. ...

Types

Rigid, Semi-rigid and Non-rigid airship types

In the background, ZR-3, in front of it, (l to r) J-3 or 4, K-1, ZMC-2, in front of them, "Caquot" observation balloon, and in foreground free balloons used for training. US Navy airships and balloons, 1931

• Rigid airships (Zeppelin is almost synonymous with this type) have rigid frames containing multiple, non-pressurized gas cells or balloons to provide lift. Rigid airships do not depend on internal pressure to maintain their shape and can be made to virtually any size.
• Non-rigid airships (blimps) use a pressure level in excess of the surrounding air pressure in order to retain their shape.
• Semi-rigid airships, like blimps, require internal pressure to maintain their shape, but have extended, usually articulated keel frames running along the bottom of the envelope to distribute suspension loads into the envelope and allow lower envelope pressures.
• Metal-clad airships had characteristics of both rigid and non-rigid airships, utilizing a very thin, airtight metal envelope, rather than the usual rubber-coated fabric envelope. Only four ships of this type, Schwarz's aluminum ships of 1893 and 189 the ZMC-2 and the Slate "City of Glendale", have been built to date with only the ZMC-2 a success.
• Hybrid airship is a general term for an aircraft that combines characteristics of heavier-than-air (airplane or helicopter) and lighter than air technology. Examples include helicopter/airship hybrids intended for heavy lift applications and dynamic lift airships intended for long-range cruising. It should be noted that most airships, when fully loaded with cargo and fuel, are typically heavier than air, and thus must use their propulsion system and shape to generate aerodynamic lift, necessary to stay aloft; technically making them hybrid airships. However, the term "hybrid airship" refers to craft that obtain a significant portion of their lift from aerodynamic lift and often require substantial take-off rolls before becoming airborne.

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 608 × 336 pixelsFull resolution (608 × 336 pixel, file size: 16 KB, MIME type: image/gif) This work is copyrighted and unlicensed. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 608 × 336 pixelsFull resolution (608 × 336 pixel, file size: 16 KB, MIME type: image/gif) This work is copyrighted and unlicensed. ... Photo #: NH 44075 Navy Lighter-Than-Air Craft At Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey, during what appears to be a demonstration, circa 1930-1931. ... Photo #: NH 44075 Navy Lighter-Than-Air Craft At Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey, during what appears to be a demonstration, circa 1930-1931. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Construction of the USS Shenandoah (ZR-1), 1923, showing the framework of a rigid airship. ... This is an article about Zeppelin airships. ... “Blimp” redirects here. ... Semi-rigid airships are airships which have a gas bag requiring internal pressure to maintain their shape, but have extended, usually articulated keel frames running along the bottom of the envelope to distribute suspension loads into the envelope and allow lower envelope pressures. ... Metal-clad airships are airships which utilize a very thin, airtight metal envelope, rather than the usual rubber-coated fabric envelope. ... The ZMC-2 was the only metal-clad airship ever built The Aircraft Development Corporation ZMC-2 was the first and only rigid metal skinned airship ever built. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

Lifting gas

Any gas that is lighter than air can be used to create buoyant lift, however many such gases are either toxic, flammable, corrosive, or a combination of these, limiting their use in airships. Historically, hydrogen and helium have been used in large airships. The expression lighter than air refers to objects, usually aircraft, that are buoyant in air because they have an average density that is less than that of air (usually because they contain gases that have a density that is lower than that of air). ... General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... For other uses, see Helium (disambiguation). ...

In the early days of airships, the primary lifting gas was hydrogen.^{[citation needed]} American airships have been filled with helium since the 1920s, and modern passenger-carrying airships are often, by law, prohibited from being filled with flammable hydrogen.^{[citation needed]} However, until the 1950s, all airships except for those in the United States continued to use hydrogen because it offered greater lift and was cheaper than helium.^{[citation needed]} The United States (until the 1950s) was the sole producer of helium (derived from Natural Gas) and was unwilling to export it because it was rare and was considered a strategic material.^{[citation needed]} General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... For other uses, see Helium (disambiguation). ...

Methane and ammonia have been used in weather balloons.^{[citation needed]} Ships called thermal airships utilize heated air, in a fashion similar to hot air balloons, as their lifting gas. A thermal airship is an airship that generates its lift via a temperature differential between the gas inside its envelope and the ambient air. ... Hot air balloon in flight The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology, dating back to its invention by the Montgolfier brothers in Annonay, France in 1783. ...

Buoyancies of hydrogen and helium

The density at sea-level and 0 °C for air and each of the gases is: Celsius is, or relates to, the Celsius temperature scale (previously known as the centigrade scale). ...

• Air (ρ_air) = 1.292 grams per liter (g/l).
• Hydrogen (ρ_H2) = 0.08988 g/l
• Helium (ρ_He) = 0.1786 g/l

Thus helium is almost twice as dense as hydrogen. However, buoyancy depends upon the difference of the densities (ρ_gas) - (ρ_air) rather than upon their ratios. Thus the difference in buoyancies is about 8%, as seen from the buoyancy equation: The density of air, ρ (Greek: rho) (air density), is the mass per unit volume of Earths atmosphere, and is a useful value in aeronautics. ... General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... For other uses, see Helium (disambiguation). ... In physics, buoyancy is the upward force on an object produced by the surrounding fluid (i. ... In physics, buoyancy is the upward force on an object produced by the surrounding fluid (i. ...

• Buoyant mass (or effective mass) = mass × (1 - ρ_air/ρ_gas)
• Therefore the buoyant mass for one liter of hydrogen in air as:
  • 0.08988 grams * (1 - (1.292 / 0.08988) ) = -1.202 grams
• And the buoyant mass for one liter of helium in air as:
  • 0.1786 grams * (1 - (1.292 / 0.1786) ) = -1.113 grams

The negative signs indicate that these gases tend to rise in air.

Thus hydrogen's additional buoyancy compared to helium is:

• 1.202 / 1.113 = 1.080, or approximately 8.0%

History

Early pioneers

Crossing of the English Channel by Blanchard in 1785.

A model of the Giffard Airship at the London Science Museum.

Santos-Dumont #6 rounding the Eiffel Tower, winning the Deutsch Prize in 1901.

The navigable balloon developed by Dupuy de Lome in 1872.

In 1784 Jean-Pierre Blanchard fitted a hand-powered propeller to a balloon, the first recorded means of propulsion carried aloft. In 1785, he crossed the English Channel with a balloon equipped with flapping wings for propulsion, and a bird-like tail for steerage.^[1] Image File history File links BlanchardChannelFlight. ... Image File history File links BlanchardChannelFlight. ... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: , the sleeve) is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1312x777, 229 KB) Summary Taken by User:Mike Young at the London Science Museum Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1312x777, 229 KB) Summary Taken by User:Mike Young at the London Science Museum Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Science Museum The Science Museum on Exhibition Road, Kensington, London, is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1333x1800, 551 KB) Summary Santos-Dumont rounding the Eiffel Tower while in the process of winning the Deutsch prize on October 19, 1901. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1333x1800, 551 KB) Summary Santos-Dumont rounding the Eiffel Tower while in the process of winning the Deutsch prize on October 19, 1901. ... The Eiffel Tower (French: , ) is an iron tower built on the Champ de Mars beside the River Seine in Paris. ... Image File history File links DupuyLomeDirigeable. ... Image File history File links DupuyLomeDirigeable. ... Stanislas Charles Dupuy de Lôme (1817-1885) Stanislas Charles Dupuy de Lôme (1816-1885) was a French naval architect of the 19th century, and arguably Frances greatest naval architect ever. ... Jean-Pierre Blanchard (aka Jean Pierre François Blanchard), (7 July 1753 – 7 March 1809) was a French inventor, most remembered a pioneer in aviation and ballooning. ... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: , the sleeve) is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ...

The first person to make an engine-powered flight was Henri Giffard who, in 1852, flew 27 km (17 miles) in a steam-powered airship.^[2] Airships would develop considerably over the next two decades: In 1863, Dr. Solomon Andrews devised the first fully steerable airship, although it had no motor.^[3] In 1872, the French naval architect Dupuy de Lome launched a large limited navigable balloon, which was driven by a large propeller and the power of eight people.^[4] It was developed during the Franco-Prussian war, as an improvement to the balloons used for communications between Paris and the countryside during the Siege of Paris by German forces, but was only completed after the end of the war. Charles F. Ritchel made a public demonstration flight in 1878 of his hand-powered one-man rigid airship and went on to build and sell five of his aircraft. Paul Haenlein flew an airship with an internal combustion engine running on the coal gas used to inflate the envelope over Vienna, the first use of such an engine to power an aircraft in 1872.^[5] Henri Giffard (1825-1882) was a French engineer who invented the injector and the powered airship with a steam engine weighing over 400 lbs. ... Dr. Solomon Andrews, (1806-1872), of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. ... Stanislas Charles Dupuy de Lôme (1817-1885) Stanislas Charles Dupuy de Lôme (1816-1885) was a French naval architect of the 19th century, and arguably Frances greatest naval architect ever. ... Combatants Second French Empire North German Confederation allied with south German states (later German Empire) Commanders Napoleon III Otto Von Bismarck, Helmuth von Moltke the Elder Strength 400,000 at the beginning of the war 1,200,000 Casualties 150,000 dead or wounded 284,000 captured 350,000 civilian... Combatants Prussia, Baden Bavaria, Württemberg (later German Empire) France Commanders Wilhelm I of Germany Helmuth von Moltke Louis Jules Trochu Joseph Vinoy Strength 240,000 regulars 200,000 regulars 200,000 militia and sailors Casualties 12,000 dead or wounded 24,000 dead or wounded 146,000 captured 47... Charles F. Ritchel Charles F. Ritchel, also known as C.F. Ritchel (died 1911), was an American inventor of a successful dirigible design, a toy monkey bank and the holder of more than 150 patented inventions. ... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... For other uses, see Vienna (disambiguation). ...

In the 1880s a Serb named Ogneslav Kostovic Stepanovic also designed and built an airship. However the craft was destroyed by fire before it flew. In 1883, the first electric-powered flight was made by Gaston Tissandier who fitted a 1.5 horsepower (1 kW) Siemens electric motor to an airship. The first fully controllable free-flight was made in a French Army airship, La France, by Charles Renard and Arthur Constantin Krebs in 1884 . The 170 foot (52 m) long, 66,000 cubic foot (1,900 m³) airship covered 8 km (5 miles) in 23 minutes with the aid of an 8.5 horsepower (6 kW) electric motor.^[6] Ogneslav Kostovich Stepanovich (russian: КОСТОВИЧ Огнеслав (Игнатий) Степанович) (1851-1916 Petersburg), many-sided russian inventor and designer, Serb who moved into... Gaston Tissandier (1843-1899) was a French chemist, meteorologist, aviator and editor. ... “Siemens” redirects here. ... The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre (Army of the land), is the land-based component of the French Armed Forces and the largest. ... Charles Renard (1847-1905), French military engineer, started to work after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 on the design of air ships at the French army aeronautical department. ... Arthur Krebs (1850-1935), then Managing Director of the Panhard & Levassor company in 1910 The Renard and Krebs LA FRANCE dirigible, on the August 9 of 1884, the day when Krebs piloted the first fully controllable free-flight The Gymnote submarine in 1888. ...

In 1888-97, Dr. Frederich Wölfert built three Daimler-built petrol engine powered airships, the last of which caught fire in flight and killed both occupants.^[7] Daimler may refer to Gottlieb Daimler, German engineer and automobile inventor in the 1880s Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, his Stuttgart-based company, maker of Mercedes vehicles since 1903, later merged into Daimler-Benz, maker of Mercedes-Benz vehicles (since 1926) DaimlerChrysler (1998), a part German, part American, part Japanese car maker...

In 1896, a rigid airship created by Croatian engineer David Schwarz made its first flight at Tempelhof field in Berlin. After Schwarz's death, his wife, Melanie Schwarz, was paid 15,000 Marks by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin for information about the airship.^[8] David Schwarz may refer to: David Schwarz (aviation inventor) David Schwarz (Australian Rules footballer) David Schwartz (composer) Also, Schwarz is only one of several spellings of the name. ... Exterior of Tempelhof Airport. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... For other uses, see Graf Zeppelin (disambiguation). ...

In 1901, Alberto Santos-Dumont, in his airship "Number 6", a small blimp, won the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize of 100,000 francs for flying from the Parc Saint Cloud to the Eiffel Tower and back in under thirty minutes.^[9] Many inventors were inspired by Santos-Dumont's small airships and a veritable airship craze began world-wide. Many airship pioneers, such as the American Thomas Scott Baldwin financed their activities through passenger flights and public demonstration flights. Others, such as Walter Wellman and Melvin Vaniman set their sights on loftier goals, attempting two polar flights in 1907 and 1909, and two trans-atlantic flights in 1910 and 1912.^[10] This article is about the aviator. ... The Eiffel Tower (French: , ) is an iron tower built on the Champ de Mars beside the River Seine in Paris. ... Thomas Scott Baldwin (1854-1923) Thomas Scott Baldwin (1854-1923) was a pioneer baloonist. ... Walter Wellman, standing on deck of airship Walter Wellman (1858–1934) was an American journalist, explorer, and aëronaut, born at Mentor, Ohio, and educated in the public schools. ... Melvin Vaniman Vaniman climbing his 30 meter pole. ...

The golden age

The "Golden Age of Airships" began in July 1900 with the launch of the Luftschiff Zeppelin LZ1. TH led to the most successful airships of all time. The Zeppelins were named after Count von Zeppelin who began experimenting with rigid airship designs in the 1890s leading to the badly flawed LZ1 (1900) and the more successful LZ2 (1906). At the beginning of World War I the Zeppelin airships had a framework composed of triangular lattice girders, covered with fabric and containing separate gas cells. Multi-plane, later cruciform, tail fins were used for control and stability, and two engine/crew cars hung beneath the hull driving propellers attached to the sides of the frame by means of long drive shafts. Additionally there was a passenger compartment (later a bomb bay) located halfway between the two cars. LZ127 Graf Zeppelin, the most traveled airship in history A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship (or dirigible) pioneered by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. ... This is an article about Zeppelin airships. ... For other uses, see Graf Zeppelin (disambiguation). ... LZ127 Graf Zeppelin, the most traveled airship in history A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship (or dirigible) pioneered by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. ... The LZ2 was a German airship created by Ferdinand von Zeppelin. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ...

First World War

Caquot observation dirigeable during the First World War.

The prospect of airships as bombers had been recognised in Europe well before the airships were up to the task. H. G. Wells The War in the Air (1908) described the obliteration of entire fleets and cities by airship attack, and scores of lesser British writers declared that the airship had altered the face of world affairs forever^{[citation needed]}. On 5 March 1912, Italian forces became the first to use dirigibles for a military purpose during reconnaissance west of Tripoli behind Turkish lines. It was World War I, however, that marked the airship's real debut as a weapon. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Herbert George Wells (September 21, 1866 – August 13, 1946), better known as H. G. Wells, was an English writer best known for such science fiction novels as The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, The First Men in the Moon and The Island of Doctor Moreau. ... 2002 Edition of The War in the Air The War in the Air is a novel by H. G. Wells, written in 1907, serialized and published in 1908. ... This article is about the day. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Mixed reconnaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944 Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering of information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ... Tripoli (Arabic: طرابلس Tarābulus) is the capital city of Libya. ...

Albert Caquot designed an Observation Balloon for the French army in 1914. The Type R Observation balloon was used by all the allied forces, including the British and United States Armies, at the end of the World War. In 1919, Japan equipped the Imperial Army with several "Caquot dirigeables". Albert Caquot (Vouziers, July 1, 1881 - Paris, November 28, 1976) was considered as the best living French engineers[1] during half a century. ... The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre (Army of the land), is the land-based component of the French Armed Forces and the largest. ... An Imperial Army is literally an army of any empire. ...

The Germans, French and Italians all operated airships in scouting and tactical bombing roles early in the war, and all learned that the airship was too vulnerable for operations over the front. The decision to end operations in direct support of armies was made by all in 1917.^[11][12] Count Zeppelin and others in the German military believed they had found the ideal weapon with which to counteract British Naval superiority and strike at Britain itself. More realistic airship advocates believed the Zeppelin was a valuable long range scout/attack craft for naval operations. Raids began by the end of 1914, reached a first peak in 1915, and then were discontinued in August 1918.^[13] Zeppelins proved to be terrifying but inaccurate weapons. Navigation, target selection and bomb-aiming proved to be difficult under the best of conditions. The darkness, high altitudes and clouds that were frequently encountered by zeppelin missions reduced accuracy even further. The physical damage done by the zeppelins over the course of the war was trivial, and the deaths that they caused (though visible) amounted to a few hundred at most. The zeppelins also proved to be vulnerable to attack by aircraft and antiaircraft guns, especially those armed with incendiary bullets. Several were shot down in flames by British defenders, and others crashed 'en route'. In retrospect, advocates of the naval scouting role of the airship proved to be correct, and the land bombing campaign proved to be disastrous in terms of morale, men and material. Many pioneers of the German airship service died in what was the first strategic bombing campaign in history. Countermeasures by the British were sound detection, equipment, search lights and anti-aircraft artillery, and starting in 1915 night fighters. One method used early in the war when short range meant the airships had to fly from forward bases, and when only Zeppelin production facilities were in Friedrichshafen, was bombing of airship sheds by the British Royal Naval Air Service. Late in the war, the development of the aircraft carrier led to the first successful carrier air strike in history. The morning of 19 July 1918, seven Sopwith 2F.1 Camels were launched from HMS Furious and struck the airship base at Tondern, destroying the Zeppelins L 54 and L 60.^[14] For the 2008 film of the same name, see Incendiary (film). ... Personnel of No 1 Squadron RNAS in late 1914 The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of World War I, when it merged with the British Armys Royal Flying Corps (RFC) to form the Royal Air Force. ... is the 200th day of the year (201st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The Sopwith Camel Scout is a British First World War single-seat fighter aircraft that was famous for its maneuverability. ...

View from a French dirigible approaching a ship in 1918.

Before the World War, the British Army was interested in blimps for scouting purposes.^[15] The Royal Navy recognizing the potential threat that scouting Zeppelins might pose, decided in 1908 to produce an example of rigid airship so that the threat might be evaluated in practice instead of theory.^[16] The Royal Navy was to continue development of rigid airships until the end of the war. The British Army abandoned airship development in favor of airplanes by the start of the war, but the Royal Navy had recognised the need for small airships to counteract the submarine and mine threat in coastal waters.^[17] Beginning in February 1915, began to deploy the SS (Sea Scout) class of blimp. These had a small envelope of 60-70,000 cu feet and at first utilised standard single engined planes (BE2c, Maurice Farman, Armstrong FK) shorn of wing and tail surfaces as control cars, an economy measure. Eventually more advanced blimps with purpose built cars, such as the C (Coastal), C* (Coastal Star), NS (North Sea), SSP (Sea Scout Pusher), SSZ (Sea Scout Zero), SSE (Sea Scout Experimental) and SST (Sea Scout Twin) classes were developed. The NS class, after initial teething problems proved to be the largest and finest airships in British service. They had a gas capacity of 360,000 cu feet, a crew of 10 and an endurance of 24 hours. Six 230 lb bombs were carried, as well as 3-5 machine guns. British blimps were used for scouting, mine clearance, and submarine attack duties. During the war, the British operated 226 airships, mostly non-rigid, most of which were of indigenous construction, though some non-rigid airships operated were purchased from France and even Germany (before the war).^[18] Of that number several were sold to Russia, France, the US and Italy. Britain, in turn, purchased one M-type semi-rigid from Italy whose delivery was delayed until 1918. Nine rigid airships had been completed by the armistice, although several more were in an advanced state of completion by the war's end. The large number of trained crews, low attrition rate and constant experimentation in handling techniques meant that at the war's end Britain was the world leader in non-rigid airship technology. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 456 pixelsFull resolution (878 × 501 pixel, file size: 57 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 456 pixelsFull resolution (878 × 501 pixel, file size: 57 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ...

Both France and Italy continued airships throughout the war. France preferred non-rigid types while Italy operated 49 semi-rigid airships in both the scouting and bombing roles.^[19]

Airplanes had essentially replaced airships as bombers by the end of the war, and Germany's remaining zeppelins were scuttled by their crews, scrapped or handed over to the Allied powers as spoils of war. The British rigid airship program, meanwhile, had been largely a reaction to the potential threat of the German one and was largely, though not entirely, based on imitations of the German ships.

Inter-war period

The USS Akron over Manhattan circa 1932

Construction of the USS Shenandoah (ZR-1), 1923

U.S. Navy Zeppelin ZRS-5 "USS Macon" over Moffett Field in 1933

Airships were operated in a number of nations between the two world wars. The major operators of rigid airships were Britain, the United States and Germany, with Italy and France operating a few. Italy the Soviet Union and United States and Japan operated semi-rigid airships, while blimps were operated in many nations. Photo #: NH 43900 USS Akron (ZRS-4) Flying over the southern end of Manhattan Island, New York City, circa 1931-1933. ... Photo #: NH 43900 USS Akron (ZRS-4) Flying over the southern end of Manhattan Island, New York City, circa 1931-1933. ... For other uses, see Manhattan (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links USS_Shenandoah_Bau. ... Image File history File links USS_Shenandoah_Bau. ... ZR-1 at the mooring mast The USS Shenandoah was the first of four United States Navy rigid airships. ... USS Macon (ZRS-5) This U.S. Navy zeppelin was built in the United States by the Goodyear-Zeppelin company in 1933. ... USS Macon (ZRS-5) This U.S. Navy zeppelin was built in the United States by the Goodyear-Zeppelin company in 1933. ... USS Macon (ZRS-5) was a rigid frame airship built and operated by the United States Navy for scouting. ... Moffett Federal Airfield (IATA: NUQ, ICAO: KNUQ), also known as Moffett Field, is a private airport located 3 miles (5 km) north of Mountain View, in Santa Clara County, California, USA. The airport is near the south end of San Francisco Bay, north of San Jose. ...

The British R33 and R34, for example, were near identical copies of the German L 33, which crashed virtually intact in Yorkshire on September 24, 1916.^[20] Despite being almost three years out of date by the time they were launched in 1919, these sister ships were two of the most successful in British service. The creation of the Royal Air Force in early 1918 created a hybrid British airship program. The RAF was uninterested in airships, the Admiralty was. A deal was brokered whereby the Admiralty would design any future military airships while the RAF would handled manpower, facilities, and operations^[21]. After the armistice the airship program was rapidly wound down, with rigid airship operations curtailed. On July 2, 1919 R34 began the first double crossing of the Atlantic by an aircraft. It landed at Mineola, Long Island on July 6, 1919 after 108 hours in the air. The return crossing commenced on July 8 because of concerns about mooring the ship in the open, and took 75 hours. Impressed, British leaders began to contemplate a fleet of airships that would link Britain to its far-flung colonies, but unfortunately post-war economic conditions lead to most airships being scrapped and trained personnel dispersed, until the R-100 and R-101 commenced construction in 1929. The major consequence of the post-war British interest in establishing airship service to the empire was the effort to use the seizure of German airships and airship sheds by the Allies, done to ensure that there would be no German competition.^[22] The US Navy had contracted to buy the British built R-38, but before that airship was turned over to the US, it was lost to structural failure due to both improper design and operation.^[23] For the NYC Subway car, see R33 (New York City Subway car) The R33 was a British airship that served for 10 years and survived a gale. ... The R34 was a British airship built by Beardmore in Inchinnan, Renfrew making its first flight on the 14 March 1919. ... is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... The R34 was a British airship built by Beardmore in Inchinnan, Renfrew making its first flight on the 14 March 1919. ... “Atlantic” redirects here. ... is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... ... The R101 Airship was a newly-built British airship that crashed on October 5, 1930 in France with 48 casualties. ...

Rescuers scramble across the wreckage of British R-38/USN ZR-2, August 24, 1921

Another example was the first American-built rigid dirigible USS Shenandoah, which flew in 1923, while the Los Angeles was under construction. The ship was christened on August 20 in Lakehurst, New Jersey and was the first to be inflated with the noble gas helium, which was still so rare at the time that the Shenandoah contained most of the world's reserves. When the Los Angeles was delivered, the two airships had to 'share' the limited supply of Helium, and thus alternated operating and overhauls.^[24] Download high resolution version (740x610, 68 KB) Photo #: NH 69230 Crash of British airship R-38 (U.S. Navy ZR-2), 24 August 1921 Rescue party cutting into the fabric hull covering, near the tail, in an effort to save airmen trapped in the wreckage, scarcely one-half hour after... Download high resolution version (740x610, 68 KB) Photo #: NH 69230 Crash of British airship R-38 (U.S. Navy ZR-2), 24 August 1921 Rescue party cutting into the fabric hull covering, near the tail, in an effort to save airmen trapped in the wreckage, scarcely one-half hour after... For the subway cars see R38 (New York City Subway car), or London Underground R Stock. ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... ZR-1 at the mooring mast The USS Shenandoah was the first of four United States Navy rigid airships. ... is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Lakehurst is a borough located in Ocean County, New Jersey. ... “NJ” redirects here. ... Neon, like all noble gases, has a full valence (outermost) electron shell. ... For other uses, see Helium (disambiguation). ...

The Zeppelin works was saved by the purchase of what became the USS Los Angeles by the United States Navy, paid for with "war reparations" money, owed according to the Versailles Treaty. The success of the Los Angeles encouraged the United States Navy to invest in larger airships of its own. Germany, meanwhile, was building the Graf Zeppelin, the largest airship that could be built in the company's existing shed, and intended to stimulate interest in passenger airships. Interestingly, the Graf Zeppelin burned blau gas, similar to propane, stored in large gas bags below the hydrogen cells, as fuel. Since its density was similar to that of air, it avoided the weight change when fuel was used, and thus the need to valve hydrogen. The "Graf" was a great success and compiled an impressive safety record. The Graf Zeppelin, for example, flew over one million miles (including the first circumnavigation of the globe by air) without a single passenger injury.^[25] The USS Los Angeles flying over southern Manhattan The USS Los Angeles was an airship, designated ZR-3, that was built in 1923-1924 by the Zeppelin factory in Friedrichshafen, Germany, where it was originally designated LZ-126. ... USN redirects here. ... Graf Zeppelin, filled with abundant hydrogen, circumnavigated the globe. ... Propane is a three-carbon alkane, normally a gas, but compressible to a liquid that is transportable. ...

The U.S. Navy developed the idea of using airships as "flying aircraft carriers." There were two airships, the world's largest at the time, the USS Akron and USS Macon to test the principle. Each airship carried four fighters in their "hanger", and could carry a fifth on the "trapeze." The development of the "Flying Aircraft Carrier" was met with very mixed results. By the time the Navy started to develop a sound doctrine for using the ZRS type airships the last of the two built, the USS Macon was lost. The seaplane had become more mature, and was considered a better investment.^[26]

The USS Los Angeles flew successfully for 8 years, but eventually the U.S. Navy lost all three of its American-built rigid airships to accidents. USS Shenandoah, on a poorly planned publicity flight, flew into a severe thunderstorm over Noble County, Ohio, on 3 September 1925 and broke into pieces, killing 14 of her crew. USS Akron was caught in a severe storm and flown into the surface of the sea off the shore of New Jersey on April 3, 1933. The USS Akron carried no life boats and few life vests. As a result, 73 of her 76-men crew died from drowning or hypothermia. USS Macon was lost after suffering a structural failure off the shore of Point Sur in California on 12 February 1935. The failure caused a loss of gas, which was made much worse when the aircraft was driven over pressure height causing it to lose too much helium to maintain flight.^[27] Only 2 of her 83-man crew died in the crash thanks to the inclusion of life jackets and inflatable rafts after the Akron disaster. The USS Los Angeles flying over southern Manhattan The USS Los Angeles was an airship, designated ZR-3, that was built in 1923-1924 by the Zeppelin factory in Friedrichshafen, Germany, where it was originally designated LZ-126. ... ZR-1 at the mooring mast The USS Shenandoah was the first of four United States Navy rigid airships. ... is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... USS Akron (ZRS-4) was a rigid helium-filled airship of the United States Navy that crashed off the New Jersey coast early on April 4, 1933, killing 73 passengers and crew. ... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... USS Akron (ZRS-4) was a rigid helium-filled airship of the United States Navy that crashed off the New Jersey coast early on April 4, 1933, killing 73 passengers and crew. ... USS Macon (ZRS-5) was a rigid frame airship built and operated by the United States Navy for scouting. ... is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ...

Howden and the Burney Scheme

In Britain during the 1920s, Sir Denistoun Burney put forward a plan for air service throughout the Empire by airships (the Burney Scheme).^[28] Following the election of Ramsey MacDonald, the 'Burney scheme' was transformed into a government controlled program which contracted for two airships, one to be developed by the Airship Guarantee Company, the other by the Royal Airship Works. The two designs were radically different. The "capitalist" ship, the R100, was conservative in design, while the "socialist" ship, the R101 was wildly innovative and radical in design. The two airships were delayed in construction, and did not fly until 1929. Neither airship was capable of the service intended, though the R100 did complete a proving flight to Canada and back in 1930.^[29] Howden can refer to: Howden, East Yorkshire, England, a town near Beverley. ... James Ramsay MacDonald (12 October 1866 – 9 November 1937) was a British politician and twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... R100 moored in Saint-Hubert The HM Airship R100 was a rigid airship, the successful private counterpart to the British government R101 project, in a competition intended to maximize innovation. ...

In October 1930 there were rushed preparations to fly the R-101, which had not been adequately tested and had serious deficiencies, on a flight to India carrying the Air Minister of the MacDonald government, Christopher Birdwell, Lord Thompson for an important Imperial conference. An air worthiness certificate was issued at the last moment. The R101 left on the flight on 5 October only to crash in France with the loss of 48 out of 54 aboard a few hours later. Because of the bad publicity surrounding the crash, the Air Ministry grounded the competing R100 in 1930 and sold it for scrap in 1931, bringing to an end the era of the British rigid airship.^[30] The R101 Airship was a newly-built British airship that crashed on October 5, 1930 in France with 48 casualties. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ...

By the mid-1930s only Germany was still pursuing the airship. The Zeppelin company continued to operate the Graf Zeppelin on passenger service between Germany and Brazil. Even with the small Graf Zeppelin, the operation was almost profitable.^[31] During the mid-1930s work started to build an airship designed specifically to operate a passenger service across the Atlantic. ^[32] The Hindenburg completed a very successful 1936 season carrying passengers between Lakehurst, New Jersey and Germany. The Hindenburg's 1937 started with the most spectacular and widely remembered airship accident. While approaching the mooring mast just minutes from landing on 6 May 1937 the Hindenburg burst into flames and crashed. Of the 97 people on board, there were 36 deaths: 13 passengers, 22 aircrew, and one American ground-crewman. The disaster happened before a large crowd, was filmed and a radio news reporter was cutting a recording of his coverage of the arrival. This was a disaster which theater goers could see and hear the next day. On that same next day, the Graf Zeppelin landed at the end of its flight from Brazil, ending intercontinental passenger airship travel. LZ 129 Hindenburg was a German zeppelin. ... is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Hindenburg — moments after catching fire, May 6, 1937

There was no possibility of flying the Hindenburg's sister ship, the Graf Zeppelin II without Helium and the United States refused to sell it. The Graf Zeppelin flew some test flights and conducted electronic espionage until 1939 when it was grounded due to the start of the war. The last two Zeppelins were scrapped in 1940. Image File history File links Hindenburg_burning. ... Image File history File links Hindenburg_burning. ... The Hindenburg redirects here. ... is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Development of airships continued only in the United States, and in a small way, the Soviet Union.

Second World War

While Germany determined that airships were obsolete for military purposes in the coming war and concentrated on the development of airplanes, the United States pursued a program of military airship construction even though it had not developed a clear military doctrine for airship use. At the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 that brought the United States into World War II, it had 10 non-rigid airships: Military doctrine is a level of military planning between national strategy and unit-level tactics, techniques, and procedures. ... This article is about the actual attack. ... is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ...

• 4 K-class: K-2, K-3, K-4 and K-5 designed as a patrol ships built from 1938.
• 3 L-class: L-1, L-2 and L-3 as small training ships, produced from 1938.
• 1 G-class built in 1936 for training.
• 2 TC-class that were older patrol ships designed for land forces, built in 1933. The US Navy acquired them from Army in 1938.

Only K and TC class airships were actually suitable for combat purposes and they were quickly pressed into service against Japanese and German submarines which at that time were sinking US shipping within visual range of the US coast. US Navy command, remembering the airship anti-submarine success from World War I, immediately requested new modern anti-submarine airships and on 2 January 1942 formed the ZP-12 patrol unit based in Lakehurst from the 4 K airships. The ZP-32 patrol unit was formed from two TC and two L airships a month later, based at NAS Moffett Field in Sunnyvale, California. An airship training base was created there as well. In December 1941 and the first months of 1942, the Goodyear blimp Resolute was operated as an anti-submarine privateer based out of Los Angeles. As the only US craft to operate under a Letter of Marque since the War of 1812, the Resolute, armed with a rifle and flown by its civilian crew, patrolled the seas for submarines.^[33] For other uses, see Submarine (disambiguation). ... is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lakehurst is a borough located in Ocean County, New Jersey. ... Moffett Federal Airfield (IATA: NUQ, ICAO: KNUQ), also known as Moffett Field, is a private airport located 3 miles (5 km) north of Mountain View, in Santa Clara County, California, USA. The airport is near the south end of San Francisco Bay, north of San Jose. ... Location in Santa Clara County and the state of California Coordinates: , Country State County Santa Clara Government  - Mayor Otto Lee Area  - City 22. ... The Spirit of Goodyear has a distinctive yellow stripe under the logo. ... For other uses, see Privateer (disambiguation). ... For the Patrick OBrian novel, see The Letter of Marque. ... This article is about the U.S. – U.K. war. ...

A view of six helium-filled blimps being stored in one of the two massive hangars located at NAS Santa Ana, during World War II.

In the years 1942–44, approximately 1,400 airship pilots and 3,000 support crew members were trained in the military airship crew training program and the airship military personnel grew from 430 to 12,400. The US airships were produced by the Goodyear factory in Akron, Ohio. From 1942 till 1945, 154 airships were built for the US Navy (133 K-class, ten L-class, seven G-class, four M-class) and five L-class for civilian customers (serial number L-4 to L-8). Image File history File links An inside view of one of the massive blimp hangars at the former Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, CA. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links An inside view of one of the massive blimp hangars at the former Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, CA. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... For other uses, see Helium (disambiguation). ... Hangars can be used to hold airplanes, airships and helicopters. ... Marine Corps Air Station Tustin was a former United States Marine Corps air station, located in Tustin, California. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. ... Nickname: The Rubber Capital of the World Location within the state of Ohio Country United States State Ohio County Summit Founded 1825 Incorporated 1835 (village) - 1865 (city) Government  - Mayor Don Plusquellic (D) Area  - City  62. ...

The primary airship tasks were patrol and convoy escort near the US coastline. They also served as an organisation center for the convoys to direct ship movements, and were used during naval search and rescue operations. Rarer duties of the airships included aerophoto reconnaissance, naval mine-laying and mine-sweeping, parachute unit transport and deployment, cargo and personnel transportation. They were deemed quite successful in their duties with the highest combat readiness factor in the entire US air force (87%). A convoy is a group of vehicles traveling together for mutual support. ...

During the war some 532 ships without airship escort were sunk near the US coast by enemy submarines. Only one ship, the tanker Persephone, of the 89,000 or so in convoys escorted by blimps was sunk by the enemy.^[34] Airships engaged submarines with depth charges and, less frequently, with other on-board weapons. They were excellent at driving submarines down, where their limited speed and range prevented them from being able to mount attacks on convoys. The weapons available to airships were so limited that until the advent of the homing torpedo they had little chance of sinking a submarine. ^[35] Depth Charge used by U.S. Navy later in World War II The depth charge is the oldest anti-submarine weapon. ...

Only one airship was ever destroyed by U-boat: on the night of 18/19 July 1943 a K-class airship (K-74) from ZP-21 division was patrolling the coastline near Florida. Using radar, the airship located a surfaced German submarine. The K-74 made her attack run but the U-boat opened fire first. K-74's depth charges did not release as she crossed the U-boat and the K-74 received serious damage, losing gas pressure and an engine but landing in the water without loss of life. The crew was rescued by patrol boats in the morning, but one crewman, Isadore Stessel, died from a shark attack. The U-Boat, U-134, had been damaged but not significantly. It was attacked by aircraft in the next day or so sustaining damage that forced it to return to base; it was finally sunk on 24 August 1943 by a British Vickers Wellington near Vigo, Spain [1][2] U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... is the 200th day of the year (201st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Shark (disambiguation). ... Unterseeboot 134 was a Type VIIC German U-boat of World War II, laid down on 6 September 1940 by Bremer Vulkan, Bremen-Vegesack and commissioned on 26 July 1941. ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Vickers Wellington was a twin-engine, medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs Chief Designer, R.K. Pierson. ... Nickname: Location of Vigo within Galicia Parroquias Alcabre, Beade, Bembrive, Cabral, Candeán, Castrelos, Comesaña, Coruxo, Lavadores, Matamá, Navia, Oia, Saiáns, Sampaio, Sárdoma, Valadares, Zamáns. ...

Fleet Airship Wing One operated from Lakehurst, NJ, Glynco, GA, Weeksville, NC, South Weymouth Massechutsetts, Brunswick and Bar Harbor ME, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and Argentia, Newfoundland.

Some US airships saw action in the European war theatre. The ZP-14 unit operating in the Mediterranean area from June 1944 completely denied the use of the Gibraltar Straits to Axis submarines. Airships from the ZP-12 unit took part in the sinking of the last U-Boat before German capitulation, sinking U-881 on 6 May 1945 together with destroyers Atherton and Mobery. is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Other airships patrolled the Caribbean, Fleet Airship Wing Two, Headquartered at NAS Richmond, Florida, covered the Gulf of Mexico from Richmond, and Key West, FL, Houma Louisiana, as well as Hitchcock, and Brownsville, Texas. FAW 2 also patrolled the northern Caribbean from San Julian, the Isle of Pines and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as well as Vernam Field, Jamaica.

Navy blimps of Fleet Airship Wing Five, (ZP-51) operated from bases in Trinidad, British Guiana and Parmaribo, Dutch Guiana. Fleet Airship Wing Four operated along the coast of Brazil. Two squadrons, VP-41 and VP-42 flew from bases at Amapa, Igarape Assu, Sao Luiz, Fortaleza, Fernando de Noronha, Recife, Maceiro, Ipitanga, Caravellas, Vitoria and the hanger built for the Graf Zeppelin at Santa Cruz. Graf Zeppelin, filled with abundant hydrogen, circumnavigated the globe. ...

Fleet Airship Wing Three operated squadrons, ZP-32 from Moffett Field, ZP-31 at NAS Santa Anna, and ZP-33 at Tillamook Oregon. Auxiliary fields were at Del Mar, Lompoc, Watsonville and Eureka, CA, North Bend and Astoria, Oregon, as well as Shelton and Quillayute in Washington.

Between 2 January 1942 and the end of war airship operations in the Atlantic, the airships of the Atlantic fleet made 37,554 flights and flew 378,237 hours. Of the over 70,000 ships in convoys protected by blimps, only one was sunk by a submarine while under blimp escort.^[36] is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Soviet Union used a single airship during the war. The W-12, built in 1939, entered service in 1942 for paratrooper training and equipment transport. It made 1432 runs with 300 metric tons of cargo until 1945. On 1 February 1945 the Soviets constructed a second airship, a Pobieda-class (Victory-class) unit (used for mine-sweeping and wreckage clearing in the Black Sea) which later crashed on 21 January 1947. Another W-class — W-12bis Patriot was commissioned in 1947 and was mostly used for crew training, parades and propaganda. A tonne or metric ton (symbol t), sometimes referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. ... is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Hot air airship made by Gefa-Flug

Although airships are no longer used for passenger transportation, they continued to be used for other purposes such as advertising and sightseeing. In particular, the U.S. Navy as above. The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ...

In recent years, the Zeppelin company has reentered the airship business. Their new model, designated the Zeppelin NT made its maiden flight on September 18, 1997. There are currently three NT aircraft flying. One has been sold to a Japanese company, and was planned to be flown to Japan in the summer of 2004. However, due to delays getting permission from the Russian government, the company decided to transport the airship to Japan by ship. A flying Zeppelin NT Zeppelin NT (Neue Technologie, German for new technology) is an airship type that has been manufactured since the 1990s by the German company Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH (ZLT) in Friedrichshafen. ... is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ...

One of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company's blimp fleet.

Blimps continue to be used for advertising and as TV camera platforms at major sporting events. The most iconic of these is the Goodyear blimps. Goodyear operates 3 blimps in the United States. In addition, the Lightship group operates up to 19 advertising blimps around the world. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company (NYSE: GT) was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. ... Blimp can refer to: a non-rigid airship as opposed to a rigid airship (e. ... Blimp can refer to: a non-rigid airship as opposed to a rigid airship (e. ...

Airship Management Services owns and operates 3 Skyship 600 blimps. Two operate as advertising and security ships in the North America and the Caribbean and one operates under the name SkyCruizer providing sightseeing tours in Switzerland. Soaring Dreams Airship over Golden Gate Bridge Palm over the Coliseum Unbranded Skyship Airship Management Services, Inc. ... Spirit of Dubai - The Palm, on the UK leg of her 2006 tour. ...

The Switzerland-based Skyship 600 has also played other roles over the years. For example, it was also flown over Athens during the 2004 Summer Olympics as a security measure. In November 2006, it carried advertising calling it "The Spirit of Dubai" as it began a publicity tour from London to Dubai, UAE on behalf of The Palm Islands, the worlds largest man-made islands created as a residential complex. This article is about the capital of Greece. ... The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with priestesses dancing. ... Spirit of Dubai as it approaches its motorised mooring mast In November of 2006, a Skyship 600 airship named The Spirit of Dubai. ... See also The World Islands - Another artificial island project in Dubai. ...

The Spirit of Dubai approaches its motorised mooring mast.

Los Angeles based Worldwide Aeros Corp. produces FAA Type Certified Aeros 40D Sky Dragon airships. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (391x756, 63 KB) The Spirit of Dubai is billed (2006)as the worlds largest commercial passenger airship and is used to advertise The Palm Jumeirah - the worlds largest man-made island, residential complex. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (391x756, 63 KB) The Spirit of Dubai is billed (2006)as the worlds largest commercial passenger airship and is used to advertise The Palm Jumeirah - the worlds largest man-made island, residential complex. ... Spirit of Dubai as it approaches its motorised mooring mast In November of 2006, a Skyship 600 airship named The Spirit of Dubai. ...

In May 2006, press reports indicate that the US Navy is starting to fly airships again after a hiatus of nearly 44 years. At present, the program utilizes a single American Blimp Company A-170 non-rigid airship. Operations will focus on crew training and research with Northrop Grumman as the platform integrator. The program is under the direction of the Naval Air Systems Command and is being carried out at NAES Lakehurst, the original center of US Navy lighter-than-air operations in previous decades. Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst (NAES Lakehurst), New Jersey, formerly the Lakehurst Naval Air Station then the Naval Air Engineering Center Lakehurst. ...

In November 2006, the US Army purchased an A380+ airship from American Blimp Corporation through a Systems level contract with Northrop Grumman and Booz Allen Hamilton. The airship will start flight tests in late 2007 with a primary goal of carrying 2,500 lb of payload to an altitude of 15,000ft under remote control and autonomous waypoint navigation. The program will also demonstrate carrying 1,000 lb of payload to 20,000ft. The platform could be used for Multi-Intelligence collections. Northrop Grumman (formerly Westinghouse) has responsibiliy for the overall program.

Hot air airship

Several companies, such as Cameron Balloons in Bristol, United Kingdom, build hot-air airships. These combine the structures of both hot-air balloons and small airships. The envelope is the normal 'cigar' shape, complete with tail fins, but is not inflated by helium, but by hot air (as in a balloon), which provides the lifting force. A small gondola, carrying the pilot (and sometimes between 1 and 3 passengers), a small engine and the burners to provide the hot air is suspended below the envelope, below an opening through which the burners protrude. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 622 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (768 × 740 pixel, file size: 81 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Ein kleines Heißluft-Luftschiff der GEFA-Flug als Werbeträger über Hamburg Source: german wikipedia, original upload 11. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 622 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (768 × 740 pixel, file size: 81 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Ein kleines Heißluft-Luftschiff der GEFA-Flug als Werbeträger über Hamburg Source: german wikipedia, original upload 11. ... This article is about the English city. ... A thermal airship is an airship that generates its lift via a temperature differential between the gas inside its envelope and the ambient air. ...

Hot-air airships typically cost less to buy and maintain than modern Helium-based blimps, and they can be quickly deflated after flights. This makes them easy to carry in trailers or trucks and inexpensive to store. Such craft are usually very slow moving, with a typical top speed of 15-20 mph. They are mainly used for advertising, but at least one has been used in rainforests for wildlife observation, as they can be easily transported to remote areas. Blimp can refer to: a non-rigid airship as opposed to a rigid airship (e. ... The Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, Australia. ...

Remote controlled (RC) airships, a type of Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), are sometimes used for commercial purposes such as advertising and aerial video/ photography as well as for recreational purposes. They are particularly common as an advertising mechanism at indoor stadiums. UAVs in a hangar An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an aircraft with no onboard pilot. ...

While RC airships are sometimes flown outdoors, doing so for commercial purposes is illegal in the U.S. In particular, Docket FAA-2006-25714 states that: "The FAA recognizes that people and companies other than modelers might be flying UAS with the mistaken understanding that they are legally operating under the authority of AC 91-57. AC 91-57 only applies to modelers, and thus specifically excludes its use by persons or companies for business purposes." [3]

Present-day research

There are two primary focuses of current research on airships: 1) high altitude, long duration, sensor and/or communications platforms and 2) long distance transport of very large payloads.

The US government is funding two major projects in the high altitude arena. The first is sponsored by U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and is called the Composite Hull High Altitude Powered Platform (CHHAPP). This aircraft is also sometimes referred to as the HiSentinel High-Altitude Airship. This prototype ship made a 5 hour test flight in September 2005. The second project is being sponsored by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and is called the high-altitude airship (HAA). In 2005, DARPA awarded a contract for nearly $150 million to Lockheed-Martin for prototype development. First flight of the HAA is planned for 2008. The United States Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency has contracted Lockheed Martin to construct a high-altitude airship (HAA) to enhance its Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). ...

There are also three private companies funding working on high altitude airships. Sanswire is developing high altitude airships they call "Stratellites" and Techsphere is developing a high altitude version of their spherically shaped airships. JP Aerospace has discussed its long-range plans that include not only high altitude communications and sensor applications but also an "orbital airship" capable of lifting cargo into low earth orbit with a marginal transportation cost of $1 per short ton per mile of altitude. Image of Sanswire One, a prototype Stratellite. ... The orbital airship, also called the space blimp, is a proposed space transportation system that carries payloads to and from low Earth orbit. ... The short ton is a unit of mass equal to 907. ...

On January 31, 2006 Lockheed-Martin made the first flight of their secretly built hybrid-airship designated the P-791 at the company's flight test facility on the Palmdale Air Force Plant 42. The P-791 aircraft is very similar in design to the SkyCat design unsuccessfully promoted for many years by the now financially troubled British company Advanced Technology Group. Although Lockheed-Martin is developing a design for the DARPA WALRUS project (see below), the company claimed that the P-791 is unrelated to WALRUS. Nonetheless, the design represents an approach that may well be applicable to WALRUS. Some believe that Lockheed-Martin had used the secret P-791 program as a way to get a "head-start" on the other WALRUS competitor, Aeros. is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The P-791 is an experimental aerostatic/aerodynamic hybrid airship developed by Lockheed-Martin Corporation. ... The SkyCats are proposed hybrid airship and aircraft developed by Advanced Technologies Group (ATG), a company founded by veteran airship builder Roger Munk based in Cardington, UK. A radio-controlled one-sixth scale prototype dubbed SkyKitten flew in July 2000. ...

A privately funded effort to build a heavy-lift aerostatic/aerodynamic hybrid craft, called the Dynalifter, is being carried out by Ohio Airships. The company has stated that they expect to begin test flight of the Dynalifter in Spring of 2006.

21st century Airships Inc. is a research and development company for airship technologies. Projects have included the development of a spherical shaped airship, as well as airships for high altitude, environmental research, surveillance and military applications, heavy lift and sightseeing. The company's airships have set numerous world records.

Proposed designs and applications

The proposed Aeroscraft is Aeros Corporation's continuation of the now canceled WALRUS project (see below.) This proposed craft is a hybrid airship that, while cruising, obtains two thirds of its lift from helium and the remaining third aerodynamic lift. Jets would be used during take-off and landing. The Aeroscraft is a planned large, luxury aircraft to be built by Worldwide Aeros Corporation. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

There is a case for the airship or zeppelin as a medium to long distance air 'cruise ship' using helium as a lifting agent. Airship passengers could have spacious decks inside the hull to give ample room for sitting, sleeping and recreation. There would be ample room for restaurants and similar facilities. The potential exists for a market in more leisurely journeys, such as cruises over scenic terrain.

Practical comparison to fixed-wing aircraft

The advantage of airships over airplanes is that static lift sufficient for flight is generated by the lifting gas and requires no engine power. This was an immense advantage before the middle of WW I and remained an advantage for long distance, or long duration operations until WW II.

The disadvantages come from the nature of the airship itself. The drag on an airship rises as the square of its speed and the power as the cube of the speed but in airplanes lift and drag increase together with speed so that for a given lift the drag is effectually constant at any speed so the power required only increases linearly with speed until close to the speed of sound: which is why airplane development was critically dependent on engine development especially during the years between WW1 and WW2. Given the large flat plate area and wetted surface of the airship, a practical limit is reached somewhere between 80 and 100 mph (200 km/h).

The altitude an airship can fly at is largely a function of how much lifting gas it can lose due to expansion before stasis is reached. The ultimate altitude record for a rigid airship was set in 1917 by the L-55 under the command of Kurt Flemming (who later died in the Hindenburg) when he forced the airship to 24,000 feet (7,300 m) attempting to cross France after the "Silent Raid" on London. The L-55 lost lift as the descent to lower altitudes over Germany compressed the gas left in the cells, and thus the weight of air displaced. L-55 crashed due to loss of lift.^[37] While such waste of gas was necessary for the survival of airships in the later years of WW I, it was simply impractical for commercial operations, or operations of helium filled military airships. The highest flight made by a hydrogen filled passenger airship was 5,500 feet on the Graf Zeppelin's around the world flight..^[38] The practical limits for rigid airships was about 3,000 feet (900 m), and for pressure airships around 8,000 feet (2,400 m)

The greatest disadvantage of the airship is size. As the size of an airship increases, which is essential to increase performance, the problems of ground handling become geometrically greater.^[39] As the German Navy transitioned from the "p" class Zeppelins of 1915 (1,126,400 cu ft) to the "q" class of 1916 (1,264,200 cu ft), the "r" class of 1917 (1,949,600 cu ft), and finally the "w" class of 1918 (2,195,800 cu ft) ground handling problems caused the number of days the Zeppelins were able to make patrol flights to decline from 34% in 1915, to 24.3% in 1916 and finally 17.5% in 1918.^[40]

So long as the power to weight ratios of aircraft engines remained low and specific fuel consumption remained high, the airship had an edge for long range or duration operations. As those figures changed, the balance shifted rapidly in the airplane's favor. By mid-1917 the airship could no longer survive in a combat situation where the threat was airplanes. By the late 1930s, the airship barely had an advantage over the airplane on intercontinental over-water flights, and that advantage had vanished by the end of WW II. The blimp remained a viable military system only until the conventional submarine was replaced by the nuclear submarine. Today, airships are used primarily for advertising where their size and novelty have an advantage.

Prototypes and experimental models

Hybrid designs such as the Heli-Stat airship/helicopter, the Aereon aerostatic/aerodynamic craft, and the Cyclocrane was a hybrid aerostatic/rotorcraft, have struggled to take flight. The Cyclocrane was also interesting in that the airship's envelope rotated along its longitudinal axis. AEREON is a US aircraft manufacturer specialising in unique lifting body airships. ...

CL160 was a very large semi-rigid airship to be built in Germany by the start-up Cargolifter, but funding ran out in 2002 after a massive hangar was built. The hangar, built just outside Berlin, has since been converted into a resort called "Tropical Islands". Exterior view of hangar built for Cargolifter. ... Aerium, outside view. ...

In 2005, there was a short-lived project focused on long distance and heavy lift was the WALRUS HULA ^[41] sponsored by the US Department of Defense ^[42] The primary goal of the research program was to determine the feasibility of building an airship capable of carrying 500 short tons (450 metric tons) of payload a distance of 12,000 miles (20,000 km) and land on an unimproved location without the use of external ballast or ground equipment (e.g. masts.) In 2005, two contractors, Lockheed-Martin and US Aeros Airships were each awarded approximately $3 million to do feasibility studies of designs for WALRUS. In late March 2006, DARPA announced the termination of work on WALRUS after completion of the current Phase I contracts. The Walrus HULA is a proposed Hybrid Ultra Large Aircraft. ...

See also

• Evolutionary Air and Space Global Laser Engagement
• List of airship accidents
• List of airships of the United States Navy
• US Army Airships
• List of Zeppelins
• Mystery airship
• Schütte-Lanz
• Stratellite

The Evolutionary Air and Space Global Laser Engagement (EAGLE) is a new plan being developed by the United States Air Force. ... 1919 American Wingfoot Air Express. ... This is a list of airships of the United States Navy, listed both by hull number and by name. ... Between 1908 and 1942 the U.S. Army had a program to operate airships. ... This is a complete list of Zeppelins constructed by the original German Zeppelin companies from 1900 until 1938. ... Alleged UFO photo taken in New Hampshire in 1870 The Mystery Airships were a class of unidentified flying objects, the best-known series of which were reported in newspapers in western states of the U.S., starting in 1896 and continuing into 1897. ... Schütte-Lanz is the name of a type of rigid airship designed and built for the first time in 1909 which was a successful early competitor of the more famous airships built by Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin. ... Image of Sanswire One, a prototype Stratellite. ...

Footnotes

References

• Rich Archbold and Ken Marshall, Hindenberg, an Illustrated History, 1994 ISBN 0-446-51784-4
• William F. Althoff, USS Los Angeles: The Navy's Venerable Airship and Aviation Technology , 2003, ISBN 1-57488-620-7
• Peter Brooks, Zeppelin: Rigid Airships 1893-1940 , 2004, ISBN 0-85177-845-3
• Charles P. Burgess, Airship Design, (1927) 2004 ISBN 1-4102-1173-8
• Wilbur Cross, Disaster at the Pole, 2002 ISBN 1-58574-496-4
• Arthur Frederick et al., Airship saga: The history of airships seen through the eyes of the men who designed, built, and flew them , 1982, ISBN 0-7137-1001-2
• Manfred Griehl and Joachim Dressel, Zeppelin! The German Airship Story, 1990 ISBN 1-85409-045-3
• Gabriel Alexander Khoury (Editor), Airship Technology (Cambridge Aerospace Series) , 2004, ISBN 0-521-60753-1
• Alexander McKee, Ice crash, 1980, ISBN 0-312-40382-8
• Andrzej Morgała, Sterowce w II Wojnie Światowej (Airships in the Second World War), Lotnictwo, 1992
• Ces Mowthorpe, Battlebags: British Airships of the First World War, 1995 ISBN 0-905778-13-8
• US War Department, Airship Aerodynamics: Technical Manual, (1941) 2003, ISBN 1-4102-0614-9
• Lord Ventry and Eugene Kolesnik, Jane's Pocket Book 7 - Airship Development, 1976 ISBN 0-356-04656-7
• Toland, John, "Ships in the Sky", New York, Henry Hold and Company, 1957, LCC 57-6194
• Higham, Robin, "The British Rigid Airship", 1908-1931", London, G. T. Foulis & Co LTD, 1961
• Dick, Harold G., with Robinson, Douglas H., "Graf Zeppelin & Hindenburg", Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution Press, 1985, ISBN *Robinson, Douglas H., "The Zeppelin in Combat", Atglen, PA, Shiffer Publications, 1994, ISBN 0-88740-510-X

-87474-346-8

• Smith, Richard K. "The Airships Akron & Macon, Annapolis Maryland, US Naval Institute Press, 1965, LCC 65-21778
• Botting, Douglas, "Dr. Eckener's Dream Machine." New York Henry Hold and Company, 2001, ISBN 0-8050-6458-3
• Leasor, James, "The Millionth Chance,"New York, Reynal and Company, 1957, LCC 58-7405
• Vaeth, J. Gordon, "Blimps & U-Boats", Anapolis, Maryland, US Naval Institute Press, 1992, ISBN 1-55750-876-3
• Shock, James R., Smith, David R., "The Goodyear Airships", Bloomington, Illinois, Airship International Press, 2002, ISBN 0-9711637-0-7

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Airship

• [4] - Open Directory of airship-related links
• US Navy Airship History
• Ferdinand von Zeppelin, US PAT No. 621,195 , "Navigable Balloon". March 14, 1899.

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