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Subject: C-class blimp
Date: 20 Mar 2017 07:57:07 -0700
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-class_blimp
The C-class 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 than the B-class,
these blimps had two motors and a longer endurance. Once again, the envelope
production was split between Goodyear and Goodrich, with control cars being
built by the Burgess division of Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Originally
the Navy ordered 30 but reduced the number to 10 after the armistice in November
1918. All ten of the "C" type airships were delivered in late 1918, and examples
served at all of the Navy's airship stations from 1918 to 1922. In 1921 the C-7
was the first airship ever to be inflated with helium. The Navy decommissioned
its last two remaining C-type blimps, the C-7 and C-9 in 1922.
Role
Patrol airship
Manufacturer
Various (Goodyear, Goodrich)
First flight
30 September 1918, at Wingfoot Lake
Retired
1922
Primary user
US Navy
Number built
10
Arriving too late for the war, the C-type became a sort of experimental airship
and was used for a variety of activities besides training. 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 on 12 December 1918. 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 notable 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. In the race to be first to cross the
Atlantic, in addition to the C5 and NC flying boats there were two British
entrants. This unofficial "race" drew much public interest on both sides of the
Atlantic and was covered by the press in detail The attempt ended when a sudden
windstorm tore the unmanned C-5 from the hands of the ground crew and was blown
out to sea. Two C-type blimps were transferred to the US Army. C-8 suddenly
exploded 2 July 1919 while landing at Camp Holabird, Maryland, injuring about 80
civilians who were watching it. Windows in homes a mile away were shattered by
the blast. On 7 July 1921, US Navy Airship C-3 burned at Naval Air Station
Hampton Roads, Norfolk, Virginia.
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)
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
*
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