Picture of the Day - Miscellaneous

Left pic.
Astra-Torres No.2 Airship

Right pic.
Astra-Torres No.1 Airship
Manufacturer: Nieuport Astra Airship
Built: October 1922
Type: non-rigid
Engine: Sunbeam Coaterlane(* spelling unknown) water-cooled in-line 6-cylinder 300 hp x2
Seats: 7
Weight: 7,560 kg fully equipped with fuel 1,250 kg, water ballast 1,280 kg, effective buoyancy 3,970 kg
Performance: max speed 78 km/h, cruising speed 61 km/h, flight range/time: 850 km/14 hours
Measurement: max diameter 18m, length 80m, height 23m, gasbag capacity 10,700 cubic meters
Armament: 75mm rapid-fire cannon 1, Lewis machine gun 1, 65kg bomb x4 or 90kg bomb x2


Source: Sea and Sky (May,1935)

17e RGC - Mali 1941

Thanks for your fantastic picture, Frog

I have to apologize that the hanger in Kasumigaura was from Germany but not from Qindao, China.
Here is detailed story about the hanger.

"The great hangar at Kasumigaura was called the Confiscated Hangar after the Geat War ended as the Japanese seized this in Judendorf(*Juterbog?), Germany as trophy. The transportation cost alone required 500,000 yen at the time for the 30,000 tons of steel. All were carried out by Mitsui & Co. Ltd. and Herr Kretschmann, a German engineer, was invited as an assembly engineer to begin construction on September 11, 1922. A total of 63,000 workers with 3 casualties by accidents had been engaged in construction for about 460 days and completed in April 1924. Floor area occupied 15,694 sq.meters for this steel-framed one-story building. Girders distance was 240 meters and beam space was 65.5 meters. It was 23.6 meters from the ground to the top of the eaves gutter and 39 meters to the top.

The foundation work was done with the crushed stone shards and concrete. The steel frame had a three-hinged structure. The base wall was 3.6 meters high with red bricks and the roof was covered with corrugated iron plate on the upper part and the bottom with Asano-type slates for air vents. No ceiling windows. The entrance was a double gable type with two iron doors. An electric motor (3 hp) was used for opening and closing. The windows, ceiling and side windows were all fitted with wire glass. Iron parts were painted with Penki(western paint) and the wooden parts were done with fireproof paint. As the area of one door was about 1,000 sq.meters, three doors occupied a huge area of 3,000 sq.meters. This was the tallest building in Asian countries, so large that the entire Tokyo station building could fit into this hangar. However, when the Zeppelin airship flew in later, even this size did not look enough."

Photo
Panoramic view of the Kasumigaura airship hangar completed in 1924


Source: Sea and Sky (April 1934)

Graf Zeppelin visits Japan in 1929.

Left pic.

Graf Zeppelin LZ-127
Engine: Maybach V.L.2 550hp x5=2,750hp
Weight: 55,000 kg fully equipped with 30,000 kg payload with 20 passengers, 15,000 kg cargo, 40 crew and food
Performance: max speed 128 km/h, cruising speed 117 km/h, flight range 12,000 km carrying 20 passengers
Measurement: max diameter 30.5 meter, length 235 meter plus arrester 1.5 meter, height 33.7 meter, hull capacity 105,000 cubic meter (75,000 cubic meter for floating, 30,000 cubic meter for fuel)
Fuel: Blau gas, Pyrofax, hydrogen mixed gas or propane gas

Right pic.

The Graf Zeppelin which is about to leave
The airship seen from the entrance


Source: Sea and Sky (May,1935)

My grandfather once told me his good memory that he climbed on the roof to see the Zeppelin flew toward Kasumigaura along the Pacific coast. My father was 4-year old then and remembered nothing.


Source: 全長「235m」土浦に現れた巨大飛行船「ツェッペリン伯号」 - withnews（ウィズニュース）

IJN purchased an Italian N3 airship to study the semi-rigid type in 1926.

Left pc.

N3 airship
Type: semi-rigid
Engine: Maybach water-cooled in-line 6-cylinder 245hp x2
Weight: 4,700 kg fully equipped with fuel 2,976 cubic meter and water ballast 348 cubic meter
Performance: max speed 110 km/h, flight range/time 2,000 km/26 hours
Measurement: max diameter 15 meter, height 17.1 meter, gasbag 7,500 cubic meter (with 7 gas chambers and 5 air chambers of 2,300 cubic meter)
Armament: wireless device only but a machine gun can be equipped on the gasbag and the gondola each


Japanese built a Vickers SS-type airship after the explosion of No.2

Right pic.

Navy Mark 1 airship
Built: in 1922
Type: non-rigid
Engine: Sunbeam Diary water-cooled in-line 6-cylinder 100hp x2
Seat: 5
Weight: 2,300 kg fully equipped with fuel 200 kg, water ballast 300 kg
Performance: max speed 88 km/h, cruising speed 66 km/h, flight range/time 2,000 km/30 hours
Measurement: width 11 meter, length 53 meter, height 16 meter, gasbag capacity 3,280 cubic meter
Armament: Lewis machine gun x2, 45kg bomb x2


Source: Sea and Sky (May,1935)

I remember a colorful airship flying above my head 9 years ago.
Vickers SS airships were painted in aluminum-silver but changed it to water-paint in orange for the Japanese Mark 1 because the cause of explosion was suspected static electricity. Italian N3 was painted in light-grey.

Japanese Airships.

Left pic.

Type 3 Mark 8 airship
Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Aircraft (present MHI), Fujikura Industries (present Fujikura Rubber), Tokyo Gas-den(present Hino, Isuzu Auto etc)
Type: semi-rigid
Engine: Type 3 water-cooled in-line 4-cylinder 150hp x2
Seat: 6
Performance: flight range/time 1,800 km/30 hours
Measurement: max diameter 15 meter, length 82 meter, height 17.1 meter, gasbag capacity 7,500 cubic meter


Right pic.

This is basically same as Mark 1. Formally adopted as Type 15 in 1926.

Type 15 airship
Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Aircraft (for gondola), Fujikura Industries (for gasbag), Tokyo Gas-den(for engine)
Period: 1926
Type: non-rigid
Engine: Gas-den Benz water-cooled in-line 4-cylinder 130hp x2
Seat: 5
Weight: 4,000 kg fully equipped with empty weight 2,500 kg, weight per hp for total buoyancy 4,064 kg
Performance: max speed 82.8 km/h, cruising speed 72 km/h, flight range/time 900 km/12 hours
Measurement: max diameter 11.5 meter, length 53 meter, height 17.4 meter gasbag capacity 3,670 cubic meter
Armament: Lewis machine gun 2, 45kg bomb x2, wireless device with communication distance 480 km, 72 km(?)


Source: Sea and Sky (May,1935)

These are final pictures for the series of airships in Japan mainly based on an old magazine "Sea and Sky (May,1935)" published by IJN.
It is said that there were many local inventors like Mr. Toichi Saito (1865-1926) beside Mr. Itaro Yamada who challenged building airships in the early 20th century but the main stream would be like what I have introduced.

Upper.
Type 15 No.5 (left) and Type 15 No.9 (right) airships

Lower.
Free balloons

Free balloons had no military use but preparatory training for airship as well as tethered balloon operations. Even if the airship may lose its engine power or the mooring cable of the tethered balloon may be severed, crew will be able to land safely by this free-balloon operation.

In addition, free balloons are used for atmospheric research and, in the case of western countries, for entertainment but, when we think about such a higher hydrogen gas cost as 0.5 yen per 1 cubic meter, it would be impossible for us to use them for entertainment in our country.

The Model 1 free balloon being used by the navy has a volume of 816 cubic meters with a diameter of 11.6 meters and a payload of 528 kgs. Empty weight is 288 kgs with ceiling 7,250 meters with one crew aboard. Gas costs more than 400 yen for a flight. The gasbag is spherical made by the cotton cloth with rubber-coating. It has a hanging basket underneath. The gondola for this balloon is actually a basket made of rattan and has a capacity enough to accommodate several passengers. Inside and outside, it is also equipped with landing cables, anchor cables, measurement equipments, maps, etc. as well as the ballast (sand) which is the most necessary for this free balloon operation

On the upper surface of the gasbag, there is a 3 meter long tear valve and the valve cable is led to the hanging basket through the inside of gasbag. When this is pulled, the upper part of gasbag is torn and gas is released, which plays a crucial role for landing. A manual valve is also equipped on the top of gasbag. Control cable is led to the hanging basket and a crew can manipulate the valve for descending or adjusting buoyancy in the air. On the bottom of gasbag is the air supply hole with a diameter of 0.45 meter. From here, gas is supplied to expand the bag and the hole is kept open during flight to allow gas or air to flow in and out at anytime. The ballast occupies 20% of the total buoyancy, allowing a climb of about 80 meters by abandoning 1/100th of the total ballast. Vertical maneuvers can be controlled by discharging gas and abandoning ballast but the horizontal direction depends on the wind by choosing adequate altitudes.

It is important to leave the ballast equivalent to 5% of the total buoyancy for landing. For landing, decide a landing site roughly at an altitude of 100 meters and drop the landing cable at an altitude of about 50 meters lowering the altitude. At around 5 meters, pull the cable to tear the valve on gasbag to release the gas.


Source: Sea and Sky (May,1935)

Japanese personnels in Saigon circa 1943


Source: Color photo album of the southern front (1943)

More great stuff, Shinpachi.

Shinpachi said:

S (Submarine Scouttype) Airship
Manufacturer: Vickers
Type: Non-rigid
Engine: Rolls Royce water-cooled 90hp x2
Seats: 5
Performance: crusing speed 96 km/h, flight range 1,278 km
Measurement: max diameter 11 meters, length 52 meters, height 15.2 meters, gasbag capacity 2,830 cubic meters with width 11 meters
Armament: light cannon 1 or machine gun 2, several 12 pound bombs

Click to expand...

It's interesting to note that the airship that Vickers built for Japan was derived from the German Parseval design and was larger and quite different to the traditional Submarine or Sea Scout (SS) types that saw widespread use by the RNAS during the Great War. Vickers built the traditional SS types, which had the typical BE2 aeroplane fuselage as their car and were nominally powered by a singe 80 hp Renault V8 engine. I believe one of these was sent to Japan, the one mentioned as SS1 in the text above.


Before the war, Vickers bought a licence from Parseval to build its ships at Barrow, which was lucky because once the fighting started, that licence was denied by the Germans. Vickers' first Parseval type entered RNAS service as HMA No.4 in 1914, and Vickers then built two more. The airship Vickers built for Japan was the last airship built by the Vickers Airship Works at Barrow, making its first flight on 27 April 1921. It bore no relation to the British SS types, despite its name in Japanese service.

I'm surprised at the power output of the SS3's engines at 90 hp each, although the Parseval was bigger, each Maybach had 180 hp, so the 90 hp each appears low, meaning the airship was underpowered. Great info though.

Shinpachi said:

Sunbeam Coaterlane(* spelling unknown)

Click to expand...

The 300 hp sunbeam was the Manitou engine, designed by Frenchman Louis Coatalen who joined the company before the war and designed all Sunbeam's aero engines at this time, hence the suffix.

Shinpachi said:

"The great hangar at Kasumigaura was called the Confiscated Hangar after the Geat War ended as the Japanese seized this in Judendorf(*Juterbog?), Germany as trophy.

Click to expand...

Juterbog is where the hangar was from. it's in Brandenburg in the north east of Germany, to the south west of Berlin, whereas Judendorf is further south, to the west of Leipzig.

Shinpachi said:

Sunbeam Diary

Click to expand...

Sunbeam Dyak. Coatalen named his engines after native peoples, which included Afridi, Maori, Arab, Viking etc. The 200 to 250 hp Maori engines were used on British rigid airships of the 33 Class.

Again fantastic information!

Thank you very much for your excellent lecture, Grant.
I think I have got wiser now