Airships of England - R-34

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December 9th, 1917 to January 27th, 1921
Information from "Then and Now" webpage & Wikipedia

RECORD: First Trans-Atlantic Round-Trip Flight!

Construction

Work began on the R-34 on 9 Dec, 1917 and she was completed the following December 20th, 1918. Bad weather prevented her from making her first flight till 14 March, 1919. She was 643 feet long, 78.75 feet in diameter, had 5 engines and could carry a normal crew of 22.

Her design was based on the captured German Zeppelin, L33, with up-to-date modifications based on the design of the German L-48 captured in June, 1918. Her hull was of duralumin girders with extensive wire cross-bracing. She had 19 chambers for gas-bags, each with automatic pressure release valves. The forward, control gondola was of two parts - the front section housing the controls, and the rear section the "wireless" room. As with many airship designs of this era, a triangular keel ran the full length of the hull, Within this keel was a 1 foot wide catwalk which allowed crew access to the engines, and the bow and stern.

SkyShips Site