BRITISH AIRSHIPS BUILT BY PRIVATE FIRMS
It has been shown in the previous chapter that the development of the
airship had been practically neglected in England prior to the
twentieth century. Ballooning had been carried out both as a form of
sport and also by the showman as a Saturday afternoon's sensational
entertainment, with a parachute descent as the piece de resistance.
The experiments in adapting the balloon into the dirigible had,
however, been left to the pioneers on the Continent.
PARTRIDGE'S AIRSHIP
It appears that in the nineteenth century only one airship was
constructed in this country, which proved to be capable of ascending
into the air and being propelled by its own machinery. This airship
made its appearance in the year 1848, and was built to the designs of a
man named Partridge. Very little information is available concerning
this ship. The envelope was cylindrical in shape, tapering at each
end, and was composed of a light rigid framework covered with fabric.
The envelope itself was covered with a light wire net, from which the
car was suspended. The envelope contained a single ballonet for
regulating the pressure of the gas. Planes, which in design more
nearly resembled sails, were used for steering purposes. In the car,
at the after end, were fitted three propellers which were driven by
compressed air.
Several trips of short duration were carried out in this airship, but
steering was never successfully accomplished owing to difficulties
encountered with the planes, and, except in weather of the calmest
description, she may be said to have been practically uncontrollable.
HUGH BELL'S AIRSHIP
In the same year, 1848, Bell's airship was constructed. The envelope
of this ship was also cylindrical in shape, tapering at each end to a
point, the length of which was 56 feet and the diameter 21 feet 4
inches. A keel composed of metal tubes was attached to the underside
of the envelope from which the car was suspended. On either side of
the car screw propellers were fitted to be worked by hand. A rudder
was attached behind the car. It was arranged that trials should be
carried out in the Vauxhall Gardens in London, but these proved
fruitless.
BARTON'S AIRSHIP
In the closing years of the nineteenth century appeared the forerunners
of airships as they are to-day, and interest was aroused in this
country by the performances of the ships designed by Santos-Dumont and
Count Zeppelin. From now onwards we find various British firms turning
their attention to the conquest of the air.
In 1903 Dr. Barton commenced the construction of a large non-rigid
airship. The envelope was 176 feet long with a height of 43 feet and a
capacity of 235,000 cubic feet; it was cylindrical in shape, tapering
to a point at each end. Beneath the whole length of the cylindrical
portion was suspended a bamboo framework which served as a car for the
crew, and a housing for the motors supplying the motive power of the
ship. This framework was suspended from the envelope by means of steel
cables. Installed in the car were two 50 horse-power Buchet engines
which were mounted at the forward and after ends of the framework. The
propellers in themselves were of singular design, as they consisted of
three pairs of blades mounted one behind the other. The were situated
on each side of the car, two forward and two aft. The drive also
include large friction clutches, and each engine was under separate
control.
To enable the ship to be trimmed horizontally, water tanks were fitted
at either end of the framework, the water being transferred from one to
the other as was found necessary.
A series of planes was mounted at intervals along the framework to
control the elevation of the ship.
This ship was completed in 1905 and was tried at the Alexandra Palace
in the July of that year. She, unfortunately, did not come up to
expectations, owing to the difficulty in controlling her, and during
the trial flight she drifted away and was destroyed in landing.
WILLOWS No. 1
From the year 1905 until the outbreak of war Messrs. Willows & Co. were
engaged on the construction of airships of a small type, and
considerable success attended their efforts. Each succeeding ship was
an improvement on its predecessor, and flights were made which, in
their day, created a considerable amount of interest.
In 1905 their first ship was completed. This was a very small
non-rigid of only 12,500 cubic feet capacity. The envelope was made of
Japanese silk, cylindrical in shape, with rather blunt conical ends. A
long nacelle or framework, triangular in section and built up of light
steel tubes, was suspended beneath the envelope by means of diagonally
crossed suspensions.
A 7 horse-power Peugeot engine was fitted at the after end of the
nacelle which drove a 10-feet diameter propeller. In front were a pair
of swivelling tractor screws for steering the ship in the vertical and
horizontal plane. No elevators or rudders were fixed to the ship.
WILLOWS No. 2
The second ship was practically a semi-rigid. The envelope was over
twice the capacity of the earlier ship, being of 29,000 cubic feet
capacity. This envelope was attached to a keel of bamboo and steel,
from which was suspended by steel cables a small car. At the after end
of the keel was mounted a small rudder for the horizontal steering.
For steering in the vertical plane two propellers were mounted on each
side of the car, swivelling to give an upward or downward thrust. A 30
horse-power J.A.P. engine was fitted in this case. Several successful
flights were carried out by this ship, of which the most noteworthy was
from Cardiff to London.
WILLOWS No. 3
No. 2, having been rebuilt and both enlarged and improved, became known
as No. 3. The capacity of the envelope, which was composed of rubber
and cotton, was increased to 32,000 cubic feet, and contained two
ballonets. The gross lift amounted to about half a ton. As before, a
30 horse-power J.A.P. engine was installed, driving the swivelling
propellers. These propellers were two-bladed with a diameter of 61
feet. The maximum speed was supposed to be 25 miles per hour, but it
is questionable if this was ever attained.
This ship flew from London to Paris, and was the first British-built
airship to fly across the Channel.
WILLOWS No. 4
The fourth ship constructed by this firm was completed in 1912, and was
slightly smaller than the two preceding ships. The capacity of the
envelope in this instance was reduced to 24,000 cubic feet, but was a
much better shape, having a diameter of 20 feet, which was gradually
tapered towards the stern. A different material was also used,
varnished silk being tried as an experiment. The envelope was attached
to a keel on which was mounted the engine, a 35 horse-power Anzani,
driving two swivelling four-bladed propellers. From the keel was
suspended a torpedo-shaped boat car in which a crew of two was
accommodated. Originally a vertical fin and rudder were mounted at the
stern end of the keel, but these were later replaced by fins on the
stern of the envelope.
This ship was purchased by the naval authorities, and after purchase
was more or less reconstructed, but carried out little flying. At the
outbreak of war she was lying deflated in the shed at Farnborough. As
will be seen later, this was the envelope which was rigged to the
original experimental S.S. airship in the early days of 1915, and is
for this reason, if for no other, particularly interesting.
WILLOWS No. 5
This ship was of similar design, but of greater capacity. The
envelope, which was composed of rubber-proofed fabric, gave a volume of
50,000 cubic feet, and contained two ballonets. A 60 horsepower engine
drove two swivelling propellers at an estimated speed of 38 miles per
hour. She was constructed at Hendon, from where she made several short
trips.
MARSHALL FOX'S AIRSHIP
In the early days of the war an airship was constructed by Mr. Marshall
Fox which is worthy of mention, although it never flew. It was claimed
that this ship was a rigid airship, although from its construction it
could only be looked upon as a non-rigid ship, having a wooden net-work
around its envelope. The hull was composed of wooden transverse frames
forming a polygon of sixteen sides, with radial wiring fitted to each
transverse frame. The longitudinal members were spiral in form and
were built up of three-ply lathes. A keel of similar construction ran
along the under side of the hull which carried the control position and
compartments for two Green engines, one of 40 horse-power, the other of
80 horse-power, together with the petrol, bombs, etc.
In the hull were fitted fourteen gasbags giving a total capacity of
100,000 cubic feet. The propeller drive was obtained by means of a
wire rope. The gross lift of the ship was 4,276 lb., and the weight of
the structure, complete with engines, exceeded this.
It became apparent that the ship could never fly, and work was
suspended. She was afterwards used for carrying out certain
experiments and at a later date was broken up.
Apart from the various airships built under contract for the Government
there do not appear to be any other ships built by private firms which
were completed and actually flew. It is impossible to view this lack
of enterprise with any other feelings than those of regret, and it was
entirely due to this want of foresight that Great Britain entered upon
the World War worse equipped, as regards airships, than the Central
Empires or any of the greater Allied Powers.