Airship Construction

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 8, 10 January 1936, Page 4

Airship Construction

ACTIVITY IN GERMANY In February last the United States .naval airship Macon was damaged by a heavy gust of wind, with the result that tho vessel came down in the Pacific, and was a total wreck. Fortunately, only two people lost their lives. In 1933 the same country lost the Akron, which broke up in the air, involving the death of 73 persons; while in 1925 tho Shenandoah was wrecked, 14 being killed.

Great Britain abandoned airship construction after the loss •of 8101 when on her maiden voyage to India in 1930. This airship encountered bad weather after crossing the Channel, some part of the structure failed, and the vessel crashed, 48 people being killed After this long record of disaster many predict that lighter-than-air craft are doomed, and there is a strong case in support of their view. But there is another side to the question. The German airship, Graf Zeppelin, has crossed the South Atlantic 62 times since 1928, and has flown a total of 570,000 miles and carried 10,000 passen gers, none of whom has been injured. Germany is now completing a larger vessel, the LZI29, which, it is expected, will bo launched in May. Dr. Eckener, the designer, claims that this- airship will have a speed of 83 miles per hour, and will carry 50 passengers, and a crew of 54. ...

Germany has been building airships for the past 2.5 years, and has vastly more experience of this typo than any other country. Judging by ' results, this experience has taught her sounder methods of. construction than those in use elsewhere.

Comparison of size by these'airships, based on the amount of gas'carried by each, will be of interest, and is as follows:—' ‘

Graf Zeppelin’ 3,709,000 cubic feet The U.S. Macon 6,500,000 cubic feet Tho British RlOl 5,000,000 cubic feet The German LZI29 6,710,000 cubic feet

It will be seen that the LZI29 is nearly twice the size of tho Graf Zeppelin and the largest airship which has yet been built.