Operations of Commercial Zeppelins
Attracted by Count Zeppelin's earlier flights, hundreds of persons made
reservations for the regularly conducted commercial trips, when in 1910
he organized the Deutsche Luftschiffahrt, A. G. (German Air Ship
Transportation Co.), briefly called the "DELAG". There was apparently a
popular demand for commercial airship transport. Zeppelin founded the
"DELAG" to meet this demand, and also to provide operating personnel and
train pilots and crews for the other services, which he knew, would be
necessary in case of emergency.
The "DELAG" was capitalized for 3,000,000 marks (approximately $714,000)
and while it was a subsidiary of Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin, there also
participated in this commercial operating organization a number of
capitalists, whose faith in commercial air transport was fully justified
by the success of the "DELAG" despite much difficulty the first year or
so due to lack of meteorological data and inexperience.
The First Air Transport Company
[PLATE 44: The "DELAG" Passenger Zeppelin "Bodensee."
On an excursion over lake district near Potsdam.
The "DELAG" Passenger Zeppelin "Bodensee."
Passengers at Friedrichshafen embarking for Berlin.]
During the latter part of 1910, minor accidents occurred which sometimes
damaged the airships and disrupted the service, but in 1911 a
comparatively regular service was established and maintained. The
principal ship was the "=Schwaben=," (Plates 5 and 30) which was far
superior to her predecessors and which had the advantage of new and
larger sheds at the Zeppelin-"DELAG" airports. The schedule maintained
by the "=Schwaben=" justifies the assertion that the "DELAG" operated the
first commercial aerial transport company on earth. Her success
encouraged expansion, and in 1912, two additional ships, the "=Victoria
Louise=" (Plates 31-32) and the "=Hansa=" (Plate 33) were built and entered
the "DELAG" service, to be followed the next year by the "=Sachsen=",
(Plate 33).
Part of the Aviation Reserve
The German Army commandeered all these commercial Zeppelins at the start
of the war. They were used partly for military duty and partly as
training ships for the many necessary crews. The first year of the war,
they added hundreds of flights to the commercial record they had already
made; but gradually became obsolete and were dismantled to make room for
the newer and more efficient types being turned out at the Zeppelin
Plants.
The headquarters of the "DELAG" were at Frankfort. It was from that city
that the chief executives controlled operations. The Business Manager
had charge of the financial and commercial activities. He supervised
salaries, purchase of supplies, materials, etc. Flying operations were
in charge of a Director of Flight. He had charge of the personnel at the
air harbors; and all technical problems were put up to him.
The crew of a commercial Zeppelin included the pilot, a reserve pilot, a
flight mechanic, helmsmen and engineers, the number depending on the
nature of the flight, a wireless operator and a ship's steward. The crew
usually aggregated twelve men.
Created the First Airship Harbor
As far as practicable, each Zeppelin was assigned to a definite air
harbor, which was known as its home station, or terminal. Here all the
repairs and maintenance were done. The members of the crew were assigned
to suitable homes, all located in that immediate vicinity. The
maintenance crews for airships and sheds were also stationed there.
These auxiliaries averaged thirty persons under the direction of a
foreman. They, too, formed the nucleus for the landing party necessary
to handle the airships on arrival or departure. Each air harbor had a
manager and his assistants to handle business details.
[PLATE 45: The "DELAG" Passenger Zeppelin "Bodensee."
Crew's Quarters.
Water Ballast Bag, Capacity 300 Kilos.
Wireless Room.]
When the Zeppelin arrived at its home port, and during its sojourn there
the pilot was in sole command of both ship and air station. He was held
strictly accountable for the safety of his ship; and acted as both
station master and flying officer, subject only to instruction from the
Director of Flight. The pilot alone made the decisions as to whether or
not he should make a flight, when he should start and the number of
passengers and crew he would carry. It is interesting to note that this
system was adopted for the entire German airship force during the war.
In fact, practically all airship personnel was trained by the "DELAG."
Like Land and Water Services
There was no special organization for selling passenger accommodations.
Agents of the Hamburg-American Line ("HAPAG") which had offices in all
German cities, also represented Zeppelin, and reservations were made on
the same basis as for ocean going vessels.
The "=Deutschland=" was the first Zeppelin operated by the "DELAG." The
motors, however, were not very dependable; and the low speed of the
ship, combined with lack of experience made it susceptible to minor
accidents. The =Deutschland= was so badly damaged, finally, that Zeppelin
was compelled to rebuild her. During the period that she was being
reconstructed the Zeppelin LZ-6 was substituted.
The "Schwaben" Filled all Requirements
The first ship to fill the requirements essential to safe and steady
commercial operations was the "=Schwaben=" built in the summer of 1911.
She was 459.2 feet (140 meters) long, 45.9 feet (14 meters) in
diameter, and of 615,580 cubic feet (18,000 cubic meters) hydrogen gas
capacity. Her three Maybach 145 horsepower motors gave the "=Schwaben=" a
speed of 43 miles an hour (19.3 meters per second). She had a useful
lift of 8,818.4 pounds (4,000 kilograms). During the latter part of 1911
more than a hundred flights were made with the "=Schwaben=" between Lake
Constance, Niederheim, Gotha, and Berlin. These flights warranted larger
ships.
[PLATE 46: The "DELAG" Passenger Zeppelin "Nordstern."
Interior view with gas bags removed.]
In March 1912, the "DELAG" put into operation the new Zeppelin "=Victoria
Louise=" (Plates 31-32) and in the summer, her sister ship the "=Hansa=".
These Zeppelins were 485.4 feet (148 meters) long and 45.9 feet (14
meters) in diameter. They each held 670,890 cubic feet (19,000 cubic
meters) of hydrogen and their useful lift was 11,023 pounds (5,000
kilograms). Motors had been so improved that the "=Victoria Louise=" and
"=Hansa=" were able to make 44.7 and 46.9 miles per hour respectively.
Accommodations for Many Passengers
Each Zeppelin accommodated twenty-four passengers besides the crew. Warm
meals were served from the up to date electrical kitchen. There was
wireless aboard, also.
The ships gave complete satisfaction during hundreds of flights made
over constantly increasing distances. They won the confidence of the
traveling public; and equally important, had supplied much valuable
experience and information, for they operated in all kinds of weather at
all seasons of the year.
In 1913, the new Zeppelin, "=Sachsen=", (Plate 33) was added to the
"DELAG" fleet. She had a length of 459.2 feet (140 meters) and a
diameter of 49.2 feet (15 meters) which increased the lift because she
carried 670,890 cubic feet (19,000 cubic meters) of hydrogen which gave
her a useful lift of more than 13,227.6 pounds (6,000 kilograms). Her
speed was better than 48 miles an hour and she carried twenty-four
passengers.
[PLATE 47: The "DELAG" Passenger Zeppelin "Bodensee."
Interior view gas bags not inflated.]
New and larger sheds were built for the "DELAG" as the fleet increased
in size. When they first commenced flying there were only two airship
sheds in addition to the one at Friedrichshafen. These were at
Baden-Baden and at Dusseldorf. They owned the shed at Baden-Baden and
leased from the municipality the one at Dusseldorf. Toward the end of
1911 others were available, one at Johannisthal near Berlin and one at
Gotha. In 1912 two more were ready, one at Frankfort on the Main, owned
by the "DELAG," and one at Potsdam, owned by Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin. In
1913 the municipalities of Hamburg, Leipzig and Dresden erected sheds.
(Plates 34-35-36.) In the beginning the sheds were single but the ones
built after the "DELAG" had started regular schedules, accommodated two
ships side by side. Some of the sheds were huge, often 196.8 feet (60
meters) wide.
Development of Adequate Hangars
They were provided with electric lights, water supply and docking rails,
which extended from either end. Special piping conveyed the hydrogen
from plant to shed. All sheds had railway connections, and were equipped
with waiting rooms for passengers and crews, as well as workshops and
accessory buildings. The airship harbors built by the "DELAG" and
Zeppelin had particularly extensive workshops, for besides the regular
maintenance work, they produced many new parts and instruments for
navigating Zeppelins.
[PLATE 48: The "DELAG" Passenger Zeppelin "Bodensee."
Power gondola (side) containing one 260 horsepower Maybach
motor. Note ladder communicating with interior of ship.
The "DELAG" Passenger Zeppelin "Bodensee."
Power gondola (rear) containing two 260 horsepower Maybach
motors. Note ladder communicating with interior of ship.]
At every shed there was a meteorological station fitted with barometers,
barographs, thermographs, and a theodolite for measurement of the wind
velocity in the upper atmosphere. Weather observations were made each
morning and telegraphed to all other stations. This enabled all Zeppelin
pilots to be thoroughly informed before setting out on a flight. The
special data supplied by the Zeppelin stations was more adequate for
airship requirements than that from the Government official weather
bureau. Wireless equipment was installed late in 1913.
Many Long Commercial Flights
The average commercial flight was from 37 to 62 miles (60 to 100
kilometers) from 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours. When the flights were from one airship
harbor to another they often lasted four and sometimes eight hours. The
fare was determined by the length of the flight, or the mileage. Round
trip flights, which were comparatively short, cost from 25 to 50 dollars
(one to two hundred marks.) The long distance trips ranged from 60 to
150 dollars (250 to 600 marks). Many single flights were made over the
North Sea. The "=Victoria Louise=" often flew to Helgoland, Sylt and
Norderney, the "=Hansa=" to Copenhagen and the "=Sachsen=" to Vienna.
These flights were characterized as pleasure trips; and as such none was
undertaken during the winter months. Instead, the Zeppelins underwent a
thorough overhauling. Sometimes, however, a Zeppelin was kept in service
all winter to train airship personnel of the army or navy.
Naturally "DELAG" became noted for its successful operations; and its
ships were repeatedly chartered by the military or naval personnel for
training flights.
Developed Airship Navigation
The "DELAG" has been credited with the entire development of airship
navigating technique. For one thing, it was the only organization of its
kind, training airship personnel in practical operations. The "DELAG"
airships and airship crews were used almost exclusively for training
purposes when war was declared. At that time there were two other
airship construction companies in Germany, Schuette-Lanz and Parseval.
Both of these organizations procured their airship pilots from the
trained personnel of the "DELAG."
[PLATE 49: The "DELAG" Passenger Zeppelin "Nordstern."
Rear view of rear power gondola containing two 260 horsepower
Maybach motors.]
Zeppelins Operated Safely
All of the flights listed in the following table were made without a
single injury to passengers or crew. The =Deutschland= had been repeatedly
damaged while entering or leaving her shed and was rebuilt. The
"=Schwaben=" was burned at her moorings during a severe storm. It is now
known that all these accidents could have been avoided, in view of the
progress that has been made in the science of lighter-than-air.
Experience has materially increased the performance and qualities of
safety in airships. Better motors, controls, gas bags and other parts of
the Zeppelin have been so improved as to preclude possibility of
accidents such as those which occasionally hindered the operations of
"DELAG" before the war. Each of the flights listed here averaged two
hours, 68 miles (109 kilometers), traversed with 22 passengers. All the
flights aggregated 107,180 miles (172,535 kilometers), more than _four
times the girth of the earth_ at the equator.
Commercial Operations of the Zeppelin
---------------------------+---------+-------+------------+-----------
| Number | | Total | Number of
Airships | of | Hours | Mileage in | Passengers
| Flights | | Kilometers | Carried
---------------------------+---------+-------+------------+-----------
"Deutschland" and the LZ-6 | 62 | 124 | 6546 | 1778
"Schwaben" | 218 | 480 | 27321 | 4354
"Victoria Louise" | 489 | 981 | 54312 | 9738
"Hansa" | 399 | 841 | 44437 | 8521
"Sachsen" | 419 | 741 | 39919 | 9837
+---------+-------+------------+-----------
Total | 1588 | 3167 | 172535 | 34228
---------------------------+---------+-------+------------+-----------
[PLATE 50: The "DELAG" Passenger Zeppelin "Bodensee."
Front and rear views of rear power gondola. Note radiator
temperature control and ladder.
The "DELAG" Passenger Zeppelin "Bodensee."
Interior view showing location of fuel tanks.]
Trained Germany's Airship Forces
In the early days of the war the "=Victoria Louise=" made more than a
thousand training flights for more than 39,852 miles (64,152 kilometers)
in 1292 hours, flying time, all after she had been added to the military
training forces. Finally, her framework became so worn that she was
dismantled. The "=Sachsen=" and "=Hansa=" (Plate 33) performed similar
service.
From the Managing Director to the mechanics, all of the "DELAG"
personnel entered the service during the war, where they were
instructors, and it was due to them that the numbers of Zeppelins
launched for war service were manned by crews qualified to operate them.
Commercial Operations Resumed
The real work for which the "DELAG" was created, "to develop commercial
air transport" was of necessity put aside during the period of the war,
but these activities were resumed early in 1919 when it was decided to
start a regular daily passenger service, at first between Berlin and
Friedrichshafen, a distance of 373 miles (600 kilometers) and afterward
extend it to Switzerland, Italy, Spain in the south and to Sweden in the
north. The pre-war personnel of the "DELAG" was assembled at
Friedrichshafen and the route to Berlin started by the new Zeppelin
"=Bodensee=" on August 24th, 1919 (Plate 38).
The "Bodensee" an Improved Type
The "=Bodensee=" was designed and built in six months (January to July
1919), by Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin. She was the same size as the pre-war
Commercial Zeppelins, _but had twice the engine power, carried twice
their useful load and maintained a speed equal with the former ships
using only one-half of their engine power_.
[PLATE 51: 20-30,000 Cubic Meter Fast Passenger Zeppelin
"Bodensee" Type.]
The "=Bodensee=" was 426.4 feet (130 meters) long, after she had been
lengthened by 32.8 feet (10 meters). Her diameter was 61.3 feet (18.7
meters) and she carried 794,475 cubic feet (22,500 cubic meters) of
hydrogen. Her useful load normally was 25,353 pounds (11,500 kilograms).
Her four motors were of 260 horsepower each. They turned three
direct-driven propellers, one in each of the port and starboard motor
gondolas which hung from the sides of the ship. The third propeller was
driven by two engines in the rear motor gondola. The propellers averaged
from 1,300 to 1,400 revolutions a minute. The "=Bodensee=" was capable of
making 80 miles an hour. Her cruising speed was 75 miles an hour.
Carried Thirty Passengers
At this pace she could carry thirty passengers comfortably. They were
seated in a luxurious salon (Plate 41) built in the pilot car under the
forward part of the Zeppelin. Nearby in the same car were a kitchen and
lavatory.
The "=Bodensee=" was maintained on the Friedrichshafen-Berlin route to
experiment further in commercial air transport. While the "DELAG" did
not attempt to make a profit, expenses were kept as low as possible and
the prospects of monetary returns were generally favorable.
One Hundred and Three Flights in Ninety-Eight Days
From August 24th until December 1st, 1919, the "=Bodensee=" made 103
flights in 98 days; on several days making two flights, one a short
sightseeing trip over Berlin in addition to her regular run.
Seventy-eight flights were made between Lake Constance and Berlin and
two between Berlin and Stockholm, eighty trips on schedule in
ninety-eight days. There was no flying for ten days owing to general
overhaul and repairs. On three occasions the regular flights were
postponed because of heavy cross winds which made it difficult and
dangerous to start the Zeppelin from the fixed shed of the airdrome at
Staaken. This meant the loss of six trips. Two of the regular trips were
omitted because of the flights to Sweden.
[PLATE 52: 50,000 Cubic Meter Passenger Zeppelin.
For medium distances and training purposes.]
Nevertheless, in that period 2,380 passengers were carried, exclusive of
crews, about 11,000 pounds (5,000 kilograms) of mail and 6,600 (300
kilograms) of express, freight and baggage. The "=Bodensee=" was in the
air 533 hours, flying in all 32,300 miles (52,000 kilometers) an average
of 62 miles an hour. Notwithstanding the many unforeseen difficulties
due to uncertain political and economic conditions in Germany during the
last quarter of 1919, the technical results of the "=Bodensee=" operations
were excellent.
The "Nordstern" a Sister Ship
A sister ship of the "=Bodensee=" was built during the last quarter of
1919, and named the "=Nordstern=" but in December, that year, the
Inter-Allied Air-Control Commission ordered the airship operations
stopped. The "=Bodensee=" was delivered to Italy and the "=Nordstern=" to
France in 1921.
Once more the aeronautical world became interested in Zeppelins. The
last cruise of the "=Bodensee=" under German management took her from
Friedrichshafen to Rome. She cruised over Zurich, Bern, Geneva and
Avignon, often making 160 kilometers an hour, to the Mediterranean, near
St. Rafael. Visitors at Cannes, Nice and Monaco saw a rigid airship for
the first time as the "=Bodensee=" held to her route passing directly over
Corsica and Elba, and finally to the airdrome in Ciampino, between Rome
and the Albanian mountains. She had made more than 825 miles (1,329
kilometers) in 12 hours and 49 minutes, at an average speed of 64.6
miles (104 kilometers) an hour for the entire distance.
[PLATE 53: 60,000 Cubic Meter Fast Passenger Zeppelin.
For medium distances. Accommodations for eighty passengers
besides the necessary crew.
100,000 Cubic Meter Fast Commercial Zeppelin.
Trans-Atlantic mail and express service.]