C class blimp

C class

Type	Patrol airship
Manufacturer	Various
Maiden flight	30 September 1918, at Wingfoot Lake
Retired	1922
Primary user	US Navy
Number built	10

The C-type blimp was a patrol airship developed by the US Navy shortly after World War I, a systematic improvement upon the B-type which was very suitable for training, but of limited value for patrol work. Larger, with two motors, and a longer endurance. Once again, the envelope production was split between Goodyear and Goodrich, with all control cars being built by the Burgess division of Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. All ten of the "C" type blimps were delivered in late 1918, and examples served at all of the Navy's airship stations in 1919 and 1920. The Navy deflated its last two C-type airships, the C-7 and C-9 in 1922.

Operations

Arriving too late for the war, the C-type was used for a variety of activities. Training of course, but there were also other exploits. C-1 was the first Airship to release an airplane in flight when the C-1 dropped a Curtiss JN-4 over Fort Tilden, New York. C-1 also tested a job which Navy blimps would also perform for the rest of their service. It was flown to Key West, Florida where it tracked torpedoes fired in practice from submarines. The only "famous" C-type was the C-5, which was flown to St. Johns, Newfoundland, where it was to attempt a transatlantic flight in competition with the US Navy's heavier-than-air Curtiss NC flying boats. The attempt ended when the C-5 was blown from the hands of the ground crew and out to sea. Two C-type blimps were transferred to the US Army.

Interesting fact

The first US implosion bombs, the Fat Man (Mark III) had incredibly bad ballistics. Los Alamos engineers, in an effort to fit the awkward shape of the weapon into an aerodynamically sound shape, based the Mark IV bomb casing upon the shape of the C-type blimp envelope.

Specifications (typical)

General characteristics

Crew: Four
Length: 196 ft 0 in (59.76 m)
Diameter: 42 ft 0 in (12.80 m)
Height: 54 ft 0 in (16.46 m)
Volume: 181,000 ft³ (5,125 m³)
Useful lift: 4,050 lb (1,837 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Hispano-Suiza, 150 hp (112 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 60 mph (97 km/h)
Cruise speed: 40 mph (64 km/h)
Range: 1,440 miles (2,320 km)
Endurance: 31 hours 30 min
Service ceiling: 8,600 ft (2,620 m)

Armament

1 × .303 Lewis gun
4 × 270 lb (122 kg) bombs

References

Shock, James R. (2001). US Navy Airships. Edgewater, Florida: Atlantic Press, 22-27. ISBN 0-963743-8-6.

Top 10 Articles

News:

C class blimp

Operations

Interesting fact

Specifications (typical)

References

See also