British Airships: Past, Present and Future

by George Whale (Late Major, R.A.F.)



CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER II

EARLY AIRSHIPS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT TO THE PRESENT DAY

CHAPTER III

BRITISH AIRSHIPS BUILT BY PRIVATE FIRMS

CHAPTER IV

BRITISH ARMY AIRSHIPS

CHAPTER V

EARLY DAYS OF THE NAVAL AIRSHIP SECTION--

PARSEVAL AIRSHIPS, ASTRA-TORRES TYPE, ETC.

CHAPTER VI

NAVAL AIRSHIPS: THE NON-RIGIDS--

S.S. TYPE

COASTAL AND C STAR AIRSHIPS

THE NORTH SEA AIRSHIP

CHAPTER VII

NAVAL AIRSHIPS: THE RIGIDS

RIGID AIRSHIP NO. 1

RIGID AIRSHIP NO. 9

RIGID AIRSHIP NO. 23 CLASS

RIGID AIRSHIP NO. 23 X CLASS

RIGID AIRSHIP NO. 31 CLASS

RIGID AIRSHIP NO. 33 CLASS

CHAPTER VIII

THE WORK OF THE AIRSHIP IN THE WORLD WAR

CHAPTER IX

THE FUTURE OF AIRSHIPS



CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Lighter-than-air craft consist of three distinct types:

Airships, which are by far the most important, Free Balloons, and

Kite Balloons, which are attached to the ground or to a ship by a

cable. They derive their appellation from the fact that when

charged with hydrogen, or some other form of gas, they are

lighter than the air which they displace. Of these three types

the free balloon is by far the oldest and the simplest, but it is

entirely at the mercy of the wind and other elements, and cannot

be controlled for direction, but must drift whithersoever the

wind or air currents take it. On the other hand, the airship,

being provided with engines to propel it through the air, and

with rudders and elevators to control it for direction and

height, can be steered in whatever direction is desired, and

voyages can be made from one place to another--always provided

that the force of the wind is not sufficiently strong to overcome

the power of the engines. The airship is, therefore, nothing

else than a dirigible balloon, for the engines and other weights

connected with the structure are supported in the air by an

envelope or balloon, or a series of such chambers, according to

design, filled with hydrogen or gas of some other nature.

It is not proposed, in this book, to embark upon a lengthy and

highly technical dissertation on aerostatics, although it is an

intricate science which must be thoroughly grasped by anyone who

wishes to possess a full knowledge of airships and the various

problems which occur in their design. Certain technical

expressions and terms are, however, bound to occur, even in the

most rudimentary work on airships, and the main principles

underlying airship construction will be described as briefly and

as simply as is possible.

The term "lift" will appear many times in the following pages,

and it is necessary to understand what it really means. The

difference between the weight of air displaced and the weight of

gas in a balloon or airship is called the "gross lift." The

term "disposable," or "nett" lift, is obtained by deducting the

weight of the structure, cars, machinery and other fixed weights

from the gross lift. The resultant weight obtained by this

calculation determines the crew, ballast, fuel and other

necessities which can be carried by the balloon or airship.

The amount of air displaced by an airship can be accurately

weighed, and varies according to barometric pressure and the

temperature; but for the purposes of this example we may take it

that under normal conditions air weighs 75 lb. per 1,000 cubic

feet. Therefore, if a balloon of 1,000 cubic feet volume is

charged with air, this air contained will weigh 75 lb. It is

then manifest that a balloon filled with air would not lift,

because the air is not displaced with a lighter gas.

Hydrogen is the lightest gas known to science, and is used in