H class blimp
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| H class | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Type | Observation airship |
| Manufacturer | Goodyear |
| Introduced | 1921 |
| Primary users | United States Navy United States Army |
| Number built | 2 |
The H class blimps were observation airships built for the US Navy in the early 1920s. The design originated with a suggestion by Commander Lewis Maxfield (who was to have commanded the ZR-2, better known as the R38, and died in its crash) for a small airship which could be used either as a tethered kite balloon, or be towed by a ship until releasing its cable it would be able to scout on its own. The results was an airship similar to the later Army Motorized Kite Balloons.
[edit] Operational history
After test flights at Wingfoot Lake, the first in the class, H-1 was shipped to Rockaway in May 1921. During the summer of 1921 the H-1 completed 6 flights and, on its seventh, a hard landing pitched the crew out of the control car. H-1 free ballooned as far as Scardale, New York where a farmer was able to grab the rip cord and tie the blimp down. During the night it was deflated. The deflated H-1 was shipped back to Rockaway in time to be destroyed in the hanger fire of 31 August 1921.
A second H-type was acquired on a Navy contract but supplied directly to the US Army which operated it as the OB-1.
[edit] Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: Two
- Length: 94 ft 10 in (28.91 m)
- Diameter: 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m)
- Height: 40 ft 10 in (12.45 m)
- Volume: 43,030 ft³ (1,218 m³)
- Useful lift: 1,146 lb (520 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Lawrence L-4, 60 hp (45 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 50 mph (80 km/h)
- Range: 400 miles (640 km)
- Endurance: 7 hours
- Service ceiling: 6,000 ft (1,830 m)
[edit] References
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[edit] See also
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