183:, Chicago, Illinois, site where the B-1 had been assembled. Two more flights were made May 29, 1917. Leaving at midnight May 29, 1917 on B-1s fourth flight, Upson decided that since the B-1 was performing well he would rather not land at the small White City facility. Instead they would fly directly to the incomplete hangar at Wingfootlake. The B-1 was forced to land at Medina, Ohio due to an oil failure. Even with the forced landing the B-1 set a new record for distance flown. Both Goodyear and Goodrich used the White City Hangar to erect B-type airships. When the hangar at Wingfoot Lake near Akron Ohio became available in June 1917 Goodyear moved its activities there.
288:
128:
A February 12, 1917 meeting with the Chief of the Bureau of
Construction and Repair, and representatives of Goodyear, Goodrich, Connecticut Aircraft Company, Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Corporation, and U.S. Rubber Company, it was agreed that the order for 16 dirigibles was beyond the capability of any one company. The conference resulted in a committee to coordinate on sharing raw materials, information and experience. Ultimately
37:
273:
escorted by airships. The value depended not so much on their ability to detect a submarine previous to its attack . . . but on the certainty of their locating the submarine after a torpedo attack, with the resultant destruction of the submarine by depth charges from either the airship or surface escort."
272:
Though the B-Class airships were deployed late in the war their operations influenced
Lighter-than-Air policy in the period between the wars. "the airship's greatest value to the allies during the past war was in convoy work. Indeed, it was common knowledge that a submarine would not attack a convoy
191:
An entire organization had to be created to operate the B-Class airships. In 1917 There were few Naval
Aviators qualified to pilot airships and few facilities for operations. There was no organization for operating the airships. Pilots had to be trained, so the Navy contracted with Goodyear to train
127:
had returned from Europe having inspected
British designs, and using reports from attachés on British airship operations, the Navy was prepared to seek bids for blimps from American manufacturers. On 4 February 1917 the Secretary of the Navy directed that 16 nonrigid airships of Class B be procured.
240:
The 16 original B-types operated extensively from the East coast bases starting in
October 1917, mostly on training missions, but also patrol operations. Several B-Class airships were lost. At least one was involved in a search and rescue operation for a downed Navy float plane. B-types also
268:
Many of the "B"s were stricken soon after the
Armistice. The Navy Table (there are two dates, May and September 1919, lists the B-Class airships to remain in service. They were B-1, B-3, B-8, B-17, B-18 and B-19). Two, B-3 and B-15, survived until 1924.
244:
One
Chatham-based B-type was involved in spotting a U-boat and called in seaplanes to attempt an attack. The B-type airships operated some 13,500 hours covering some 300,000 square miles and trained over 160 Naval Aviators in airship operations.
264:
It is believed that the B-type airships were painted olive drab. Other sources have them being painted with aluminum powdered dope. One suffered a chemical reaction in the rubber coating and turned pink, it was nicknamed "The Pink Lady."
260:
They were given new Bureau
Numbers (A-5464, A-5465 and A-5467) The new airships had pusher engines ( B-1 through B16 had tractor engines). Goodyear also built one new car which appears to have been the B-20 (BuNo A-5257).
505:
857:
168:
engines. One ship, B-20 was equipped with a special control car. All B-Class airships were delivered to the Navy between August 1917 (B-1) and
September 1918 (B-20).
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The first flight of a B class blimp was made by the engineers who built it, Ralph Upson and Lt
Preston, on May 24, 1917 at the
447:
623:, Washington D.C.: Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air Warfare) and the Commander, Naval Air Systems Command, pgs. 9-10.
495:, Washington D.C.: Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air Warfare) and the Commander, Naval Air Systems Command, pgs. 6-7.
44:
B-1, the first of the class. B-1 is easily identified by the dual lower fins, later B-types had only a single fin.
506:"Navy History and Heritage Command Aircraft History Card Listing A-52 Through A-999/Bureau Numbers A-201 to A-299"
192:
Naval Aviators as airship pilots at Wingfootlake, Ohio. The Navy set up airship stations along the East Coast, at
201:
193:
161:
141:
221:
725:
Lord Ventry and Kolesink, Eugene M., Airship Saga, 1982, Blandford Books Ltd., Poole, Dorset, England,
671:
Lord Ventry and Kolesink, Eugene M., Airship Saga, 1982, Blandford Books Ltd., Poole, Dorset, England,
602:
Shock, James R., American Airship Bases and Facilities, 1996, Atlantis Productions, Edgewater Florida,
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Shock, James R., American Airship Bases and Facilities, 1996, Atlantis Productions, Edgewater Florida,
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Notes on the Operation of Nonrigid Airships, 1920, Government Printing Office, Washington D.C.
726:
706:
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Shock, James R., U.S. Navy Airships 1915-1962, 2001, Atlantis Productions, Edgewater Florida,
689:
688:
Shock, James R., U.S. Navy Airships 1915-1962, 2001, Atlantis Productions, Edgewater Florida,
672:
655:
654:
Shock, James R., U.S. Navy Airships 1915-1962, 2001, Atlantis Productions, Edgewater Florida,
633:
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Shock, James R., U.S. Navy Airships 1915-1962, 2001, Atlantis Productions, Edgewater Florida,
603:
586:
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Shock, James R., U.S. Navy Airships 1915-1962, 2001, Atlantis Productions, Edgewater Florida,
536:
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Shock, James R., U.S. Navy Airships 1915-1962, 2001, Atlantis Productions, Edgewater Florida,
519:
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Shock, James R., U.S. Navy Airships 1915-1962, 2001, Atlantis Productions, Edgewater Florida,
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for its gondolas. The Curtiss-built gondolas used by Goodyear and Goodrich used modified
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Ventry, Arthur Frederick Daubeney Eveleigh-de Moleyns; Koleśnik, Eugène M. (1982).
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were patrol airships operated by the United States Navy during and shortly after
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341:
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112:
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17:
391:
225:
36:
576:, New York: St Martin's Press, 1961, Library of Congress 64-12336, p. 147.
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Kite Balloons to Airships . . . the Navy's Lighter-than-Air Experience
493:
Kite Balloons to Airships . . . the Navy's Lighter-than-Air Experience
721:
719:
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In mid-1918 or early-1919 three gondolas were rebuilt by Goodyear as
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Kite Balloons to Airships... the Navy's Lighter-than-Air Experience
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fiasco. The result was the very successful B-type airships. Dr.
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551:
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was asked to develop a theory of airship design, Lt.
140:assembled the gondolas for all of those 14 ships.
783:. Poole, Dorset, England: Blandford Press Ltd.
774:. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office.
851:
115:. The Navy had learned a great deal from the
8:
821:. Edgewater Florida: Atlantis Productions.
802:. Edgewater Florida: Atlantis Productions.
858:
844:
836:
404:List of airships of the United States Navy
371:927 mi (1,492 km, 806 nmi)
415:
241:operated from San Diego and Coco Solo.
477:: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
470:
365:35 mph (56 km/h, 30 kn)
359:47 mph (76 km/h, 41 kn)
26:
800:American Airship Bases and Facilities
334:84,000 cu ft (2,380 m)
307:Specifications (Curtiss-built B-type)
7:
322:163 ft 0 in (49.70 m)
969:1910s United States patrol aircraft
974:Airships of the United States Navy
328:31 ft 6 in (9.60 m)
25:
220:. Bases were also established at
286:
35:
429:, New York: Orion Books, 1990,
148:for its two envelopes and with
1:
751:Althoff, William F.. (1990).
979:Aircraft first flown in 1917
819:U.S. Navy Airships 1915-1962
187:Organization for Operations
995:
770:Grossnick, Roy A. (1986).
132:manufactured 9 envelopes,
874:
869:non-rigid airship classes
755:. New York: Orion Books.
181:White City Amusement Park
73:White City Amusement Park
43:
34:
29:
817:Shock, James R. (2001).
798:Shock, James R. (1996).
574:The History of Airships
313:General characteristics
164:blimps were powered by
619:Grossnik, Roy A. 1986
491:Grossnik, Roy A. 1986
194:Chatham, Massachusetts
75:hangar in Chicago, IL
222:San Diego, California
156:fuselages powered by
425:Althoff, William F,
344:V-8 , 100 hp (37 kW)
206:Cape May, New Jersey
198:Montauk, Long Island
162:Connecticut Aircraft
142:Connecticut Aircraft
377:26 hours 30 minutes
236:Operational history
301:United States Navy
218:Pensacola, Florida
88:Primary user
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230:Panama Canal Zone
210:Norfolk, Virginia
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453:. Archived from
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54:Type of aircraft
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125:John H. Towers
109:B class blimps
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204:in NY City,
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175:First flight
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154:Curtiss JN-4
108:
106:
97:Number built
679:, page 138.
437:, pgs. 4-5.
350:Performance
342:Curtiss OXX
338:Powerplant:
158:Curtiss OXX
146:U.S. Rubber
136:made 5 and
113:World War I
963:Categories
733:, page 139
610:, page 107
593:, page 106
464:2010-12-22
410:References
375:Endurance:
166:Hall-Scott
713:, page 19
696:, page 18
662:, page 21
640:, page 14
563:, page 15
526:, page 17
392:Lewis gun
390:1 × .303
326:Diameter:
280:Operators
226:Coco Solo
945:see also
753:SkyShips
473:cite web
427:SkyShips
398:See also
383:Armament
214:Key West
134:Goodrich
130:Goodyear
91:US Navy
80:Retired
63:Various
30:B class
332:Volume:
320:Length:
228:in the
138:Curtiss
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369:Range:
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256:, and
224:, and
212:, and
458:(PDF)
451:(PDF)
49:Role
823:ISBN
804:ISBN
785:ISBN
757:ISBN
727:ISBN
707:ISBN
690:ISBN
673:ISBN
656:ISBN
634:ISBN
604:ISBN
587:ISBN
557:ISBN
537:ISBN
520:ISBN
479:link
431:ISBN
340:1 ×
250:B-17
216:and
117:DN-1
107:The
949:K-1
867:USN
258:-19
254:-18
101:20
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718:^
645:^
548:^
475:}}
471:{{
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232:.
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889:C
884:B
879:A
859:e
852:t
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467:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
