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History, Reference, Research, and GrogTalk => Organizations and Equipment => Topic started by: besilarius on September 08, 2015, 06:18:04 PM

Title: Zeppelin
Post by: besilarius on September 08, 2015, 06:18:04 PM
http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/military-history/german-zeppelins-terrorizing-the-british-and-raf-during-ww1/

Nice article.
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: bob48 on September 09, 2015, 05:19:17 AM
Very interesting. Thanks for posting that, bes.
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: besilarius on September 09, 2015, 06:42:15 AM
My pleasure, Bawb.  Love the elegance and majesty of the lighter than air craft.
I do feel the Huns went too far though.  Bombing the Dean distillery in Rosyth went beyond the pale.
All those poor geordies doing their best to save that fine single malt.  The hospitals were overwhelmed.
Talk about collateral damage.
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: bob48 on September 09, 2015, 06:44:12 AM
Quote from: besilarius on September 09, 2015, 06:42:15 AM
My pleasure, Bawb.  Love the elegance and majesty of the lighter than air craft.
I do feel the Huns went too far though.  Bombing the Dean distillery in Rosyth went beyond the pale.
All those poor geordies doing their best to save that fine single malt.  The hospitals were overwhelmed.
Talk about collateral damage.

A war crime and no mistake.
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: besilarius on November 18, 2015, 08:11:28 AM
Interior photos of the luxurious Hindenburg.

http://www.openculture.com/2015/11/the-interior-of-the-hindenburg-revealed-in-1930s-color-photos.html
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: Pinetree on November 21, 2015, 02:40:30 AM
I've got a lovely coffee table book on the Hindenburg which also has a great history on the airships. My favourites have to be the Macon and Akron. Those were awesome with their own recoverable recon planes.

edit: This is the book, Hindenburg: An Illustrated History (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446517844?keywords=the%20hindenburg&qid=1448091652&ref_=sr_1_5&sr=8-5)
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: Staggerwing on November 21, 2015, 12:02:47 PM
Quote from: Pinetree on November 21, 2015, 02:40:30 AM
I've got a lovely coffee table book on the Hindenburg which also has a great history on the airships. My favourites have to be the Macon and Akron. Those were awesome with their own recoverable recon planes.

edit: This is the book, Hindenburg: An Illustrated History (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446517844?keywords=the%20hindenburg&qid=1448091652&ref_=sr_1_5&sr=8-5)

I have that one as well, along with a few others. Here's a book I would dearly love having: Up Ship (http://www.amazon.com/Up-Ship-Charles-E-Rosendahl/dp/B002CIIBSG) By Charles Rosendahl (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_E._Rosendahl). I read a copy through a library many years ago and would like to again but it's not there anymore.  :(
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: Gusington on November 21, 2015, 05:46:20 PM
HOLY CRAP...that Hindenburg illustrated history is available for a penny!!!
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: besilarius on March 01, 2016, 09:23:48 PM
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/02/29/a-new-generation-of-airships-is-born

Some new developments.
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: Staggerwing on March 01, 2016, 10:11:07 PM
I want to believe.
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: bob48 on March 02, 2016, 06:28:56 AM
Me too, Stagger.
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: OJsDad on March 02, 2016, 10:06:09 PM
I've wondered what if the US/NATO had operated an airship fleet that each could move 400 tons of cargo.  The Germans were flying airships across the Atlantic in 2.5 days.  So a round trip would take 5 days.  Give a day on each end to load/unload cargo and take on fuel and supplies.  While a cargo ship could carry a lot more cargo, those ships would also be a lot more vulnerable to sub attacks than an airship.  And a fleet of say 50 would mean you could land 2800 tons of supplies a day.  Or, perhaps even better, additional units.  It wouldn't be hard for a single airship to move 5-6 M1 Abrams in a single lift.  How long would it take to move a battalion or brigade from the US to assist in a war in Europe.  The Russians/Warsaw Pact would have to sacrifice a lot of aircraft trying to stop those airships. 
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: Staggerwing on March 02, 2016, 10:12:56 PM
Quote from: OJsDad on March 02, 2016, 10:06:09 PM
I've wondered what if the US/NATO had operated an airship fleet that each could move 400 tons of cargo.  The Germans were flying airships across the Atlantic in 2.5 days.  So a round trip would take 5 days.  Give a day on each end to load/unload cargo and take on fuel and supplies.  While a cargo ship could carry a lot more cargo, those ships would also be a lot more vulnerable to sub attacks than an airship.  And a fleet of say 50 would mean you could land 2800 tons of supplies a day.  Or, perhaps even better, additional units.  It wouldn't be hard for a single airship to move 5-6 M1 Abrams in a single lift.  How long would it take to move a battalion or brigade from the US to assist in a war in Europe.  The Russians/Warsaw Pact would have to sacrifice a lot of aircraft trying to stop those airships.

Testify, Airship Brother!
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: Barthheart on March 03, 2016, 07:59:31 AM
Read this book:

The War in the Air by H.G. Wells.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/780/780-h/780-h.htm

Great story about air ships in a Great War that never was.
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: besilarius on August 07, 2016, 07:31:02 AM
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-36997711

A new craft leaves the hangar.
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: Staggerwing on August 07, 2016, 07:43:22 AM
Excellent!
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: bob48 on August 07, 2016, 08:53:18 AM
I've been following the development of this and it really is fascinating.
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: besilarius on August 24, 2016, 10:15:59 PM
Get Away!  Get out get out!
Oh, the humanity.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/a22519/airlander-10-crash-second-test-flight-video/
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: besilarius on August 29, 2016, 05:23:40 PM
The Graf visits Egypt
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: besilarius on November 19, 2016, 09:12:11 AM
Ostfriesland and scout.
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: besilarius on January 11, 2017, 07:44:05 AM
The Hindenburg over west Philadelphia.
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: besilarius on April 21, 2017, 07:04:20 AM
Lakehurst, NJ, 9 May, 1936
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: besilarius on June 09, 2017, 09:38:42 PM
Since there isn't a Balloon thread, this seems to go here.

https://georgianera.wordpress.com/2017/05/30/early-ballooning-in-18th-century-france-and-england/
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: besilarius on June 19, 2017, 06:37:08 AM
Latest development.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/a26937/airlander-10-test-flight/
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: besilarius on May 14, 2018, 06:43:09 AM
https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/worlds-largest-aircraft-tears-itself-apart/

More bad news.
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: besilarius on August 04, 2018, 11:44:38 AM
4 August 1908 – Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin – LZ 4 floating out of its hangar on Lake Constance – on a planned 24-hour round trip down the Rhine to Basel, Strasbourg and Mainz, then back to Stuttgart, a distance of approximately 435 miles – Its maximum speed was 48 kilometers per hour (29.8 miles per hour).
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: besilarius on January 02, 2020, 09:22:09 PM
Airship Macon
Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: Staggerwing on January 03, 2020, 06:43:34 AM
Damn but that must have been an impressive sight back in the day.

Imagine if you were lucky enough to watch it launch or retrieve one of it's F9C Sparrowhawk scout fighters!




Note toward the end the scout has had its landing gear removed. This reduced drag, increased endurance, and actually made water-ditching safer in an emergency. The ZRSs were supposed to operate over the open ocean so there would not be any place to land anyway.

Here the Macon features in a James Cagney film:



Title: Re: Zeppelin
Post by: besilarius on January 03, 2020, 08:04:25 AM
That's fun.  Thanks for posting.