impossible to assess the full value of this work as a warlike operation.
A less well-known Zeppelin activity was the patrol of the North Sea in conjunction with the navy. These patrols were of extra- ordinary extent and thoroughness, and must have proved a most valuable assistance to the naval authorities. The value of a similarly thorough patrol to the British would probably have been even greater. British airship activity was confined almost entirely to anti-submarine work carried out by non-rigid ships partly as patrols over definite areas and partly as protection to convoys. As a prevention to submarine activity these small ships were extremely effective, although the number of sub- marines actually destroyed through their direct agency was
small. The use of a hydrophone from an airship while in flight was being successfully developed at the time of the Armistice, and promised greatly to increase the effectiveness of their work. The function of these ships was to detect and keep touch with the submarine until the surface craft arrived with better locating gear and a much more ample supply of explosive with which to carry out the actual destruction. The large ships did a certain amount of scouting work for the fleet, but this operation was really only in course of development at the time of the Armistice. The number of hours flown on patrols was over 87,000 and the distance covered well over two million miles.
One remarkable operation by the Zeppelin Ls7 was her flight to East Africa for the relief of the German force there. She left
AIRSHIP
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Year of Com- ple- tion
Length
Diam- eter
Ca- pacity
Gross Lift
Disposable Lift
Useful Lift
Engines
Speed
Endurance
Max.
Nor- mal Cruis- ing
Cruis- ing
At 40 kts.
feet
feet
million cub. ft.
tons
tons
%of gross
tons
%of gross
No
H.P.
knots
knots
hrs.
hrs.
RIGIDS Germany: Zeppelin L4 .... Lio ....
L2O ....
L30 .... L 5 8 . . . . L72 . . . . " Bodensee" (modified) Lioo (design) . Schiitte-Lanz SL3 SL6 . . SL8 . . SL20 . . Britain: Rq
1914
1915 1916 1916 1918 1918
1915 1915 1916 1917
1917 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1921
518 536 586 645 645 743 430 781 513 534 571 650
526
535
< 15 640
535 672
695
49 61
79 79 79 79 61-5 96 65 65 66
75
53 53 66
79 70
79 86
793 1-126 1-264
1-949 1-978 2-420 800 3-814 1-144 1-236
1-367 1-978
-89 95 1-553 1-958 i -200
2-IOI 2-724
24-1
34-2 38-4 59-2 60-0
73-45
22-0 II5-8
34-7 37-5 41-5 60-0
25-6
27-3
47-14
59-5 36-43 63-8 82-7
8-53 14-9 16-52 30-0
36-93 47-0 ii-l 75-6 12-18 14-58 18-0 32-56
5-i 5-6 16-43
25-9 14-0
32-5 50-0
35-3 43-5 43-o 50-6 61-5 64-0 50-5 65-3 35-1 38-9 43-4 54-2
2O-O
20-5 34-8 44-7 38-5 51-0 60-5
3-3 8-44
10-0
17-35 27-8 36-72 8-0 60- 1 6-16 8-30 11-30 23-5
1-6 1-8 8-9 17-2 7-81
25-5 38-0
13-7 24-7 26-0 29-4 46-4 50-0 36-3 52-0 18-0
22-2 27-3
39-2
6-25
6-6 18-9 28-8
2i-5 40-0 46-0
3
4
i
5 6
4 10
4 4 4 6
4 4 5 5 4 4 6
2IO
240 240 240 260 26O 240 26O 210 2IO 240 240
1 80 26O 250 250 230 350 350
45 52-4 51-4 55-7 61-7 66-4 68 66-6
45-7 50-1
5-i 55-4
36 45
58-2
52
53-9 54 60
38-6 39-6 42 47-4 49-1
54 53-3 36-5 40-1 40-1 44-3
29 36 46-6 41-7
43 43-2
48
39 77 80
93
178 182 76 1 80 56 75 90 126
20 26
1 06
65 130
157
22
70
77 107 290 330 165 414
43 76 91 170
18
85 119 81 163
245
R23
R32 (Schiitte-Lanz type) Rl4
R8o ....
R 3 6
R38 (design) ....
SEMI-RIGIDS Italy. O
1918 1918 1917 1918 1920
1914 1917
177 264 298 298 410
400 520
35 59 66 66 70
53 65
127 441 635 635 I-2OO
-69 I-I2
3'9 I3-36 19-3 19-3 36-3
20-9 33-8
1-37 6-7 9-2 8-64 18-1
35-0 50-1 47-6 44-7 50-0
95 5-42 7-39 6-83
13-0
6-0 15-0
25-0 40-5 38-3 35-4 36-2
28-7 44-5
2
3
2
4 6
3
4
120 2OO 2IO
15 500
1 6O 240
47 45 38 47 68
43 49
37'6 36 30 37
53
34 39
28 69 140
65 IOO
96
1 20
23 48
47 230
59
US
MSI ....
Forlanini 5 .... Forlanini 6 ....
Germany: M. IV. E PL27
NON-RIGIDS Britain: Beta
1912 1913 1915 1916
1915
1917 1916
1913 I9'5
1919 1916 1918
1917 1918 1920
H3 H3 196
220 262
278 400
264 307 157
160 192
198
54-5 27-7
30-7 37-2
44-1 54-2
49-5 54
52-8
46 , 35-6
31-6
42 42
05 12
06 07
170
200 360
28 47
336 368 096
084 180 190
1-52 3-63 1-82
2-155 5-15
6-4 11-44
8-5 H-3
IO-2
n-4
2-92
2-55 5-45
5-75
5 696
1-4
1-93 4-34
4-0 4-5 9
866 1-63
2-12
27-0 32-3 27-0
30-2 37-9
39-0 39-4 30-9
34-o 30-0
37-o
435 9 1-285 3-24
2-8
6
2-8
3 : 6
611 i-i
1-55
20-2
3
20-1 ^
28-3
33-o 42-0
27-4
27-2
20-5
24-0 2O-2
27-0
i
2 I I I I I I 2
2 2
2 2 2
I 2
2
45 80 70 80 no 220 no 260 260
1 80
2IO
250 22O 80
IOO
150
I2S
31 35 40
43 40
51 50
35 37
43-5 38 42
41 52
50
25
28 32 35 32
41 40
28 30
35 30 33-5
33 4'-5 40
8-5
10
29 19
33 53
20
43 9
27 3i
37
21
8
22-5
36
12
7
16 33
37
Eta
s.s.
s.s.z
Coastal*
North Sea .... Germany: PLi8
PL25
France: Astra 19 Tunisie ....
Zodiac Vedette . . . America: B
C ....
D
NOTE. The trials made with the earlier ships were less complete and less accurate than those made later. The performance was in many instances calculated and recorded on a basis very different from the present standard. The figures given in the table are, however, the best that can be derived from the sources available.
The endurance depends upon the weight available for petrol when a deduction from the useful lift has been made for crew, armament, stores, etc. This deduction necessarily varies with different types of ship, and the basis on which it is made is usually not stated in the records that have been preserved. The endurance should not, therefore, be regarded as a reliable basis of comparison. The figures given, are those for the best ship of each class.
