The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-01
The Super. ZeppeMns.

i" w W ' VI a
Zeppelin at Rcvigny. southeast Of
Ncrdun. on February 81, ave the
French specialist GEoRGEs pRADE an
opportunity to study the construction
of the latest type Of German mir
drcndnought. II proved to be a great
advance upon the Zcppelins Of 1912,
with which this French authority
was familiar. The nirship brought
down Mt Revigny was marked l. Z.I1.
VI. PRApE managed 10 he present when
I. Z-3O had her trials on the Bodenscp
on November ). 1914. In the previ-
| Gus July, on the rye of war. l. Z-"i
was finished nj the Fricdrichshnfcn
factory, from which II may he con-
cludcd that tifty-threc Of these grea,
ships were constructed by Germany
in the first eighteen months of war
also that one Zeppelin Is being turned
M every ten days. The new type
Is So much larger and more powerful
than the product of 1912 that the
name super.Zeppelin may he applied
to II.
The type of 1912 had n length of
about AGO feet and was of 1880 cubic
meters capacity. From the wreck
age which he examined mt Revigny
NJ. PRApr estimates that l. III was
60 feet long. with II capacity Of abou,
10000 cubic meters. The shape of
the great envelope had changed. being
no longer symmetrical ,both ends
alikcl forward l. III was blunt and
full. tapering down toward the after
part Of the balloon. and this design
gave her. with an equal capacity.
less resistance when advancing. and,
consequently. with cQunl power
greater speed" The type Of 19l.
was equipped with three motors
which drove four propellers: l. III
had five motors and five p%ropellerS,
the NTH behind tho stern car or
.ondoln There are two cars). this
arrangement securing an increase
of both horizontal and ascensional
speed. There were twenty-three men
in the crew Of this super.Icprclin.
In offensive and defensive power
|. III was much more formidable
than the old types. She carried 1..JN
kilosrammcS of bombs. composed OF
twenty projcctiles. weighing 10, 81
and lN k~ilogrammes. which were op
Grated 10y pressing an electrical hut
ton. When une of these bombs struck
the earth n hole feet deep and
seventeen in diameter VAS made. Sin
machine guns formed the defensiv.
equipment. In advising the English
about the attack on Zeppelins NJ
I'RADE says that ms they arrive over
England NJ II low altitude. and per
haps even Al reduced speed. 81 rs t.
economic petrol while M sea" gun
planes, that is 10 say. a%croplanes witt
machine guns mounted. should patro
the coast line and he ready to fire
on the Ieppelins before they rise to n
! higher altitude. In London anti-air.
craft quick firing guns "f large cali.
hrr. using Il luminous shell to locate
III" enemy, n SCATTERING shell and :
>hrapnol shell. should be employed
If the big ships We're % brought
down by this second method "ligh'
chasing a%eropluncs armed with ma
chine guns and iucpndiary rockets
should be ready to pursue.
II i estimated by NJ. PRApE that
Germany to-day possesses forty Icp
pclins of all types, and he says tina
their principal ,nsk is to patrol thu
North Sea and the Baltic. keeping il
constant communication with the flee
at kiel. This grenl armada of III,
air would he available If the battle
ship fleet should 90 out to meet TIT
enemy in the North Sea. While TIT
d%rcadnoughts of the water fred thei'
broad>ides ut the British ships th'
d~rendnoughts Of the air could max,
II target of the cnemy'S fleet Will
proiectileS weighing from fifty tn IN
kilogrammeS. II might hc Difficult
10 hit individual ships, but an nj
fleet Of forty super-dreadnought'
would have $40 bombs to release. An.
one of them might sink II Queen Eliz
nhrth. ana the Xeppelins would prob
ably have orders to fly low whel
signalled and risk destruction 10 Sinl
n British dreadnought. This menace
the Admiralty in London must reckon
with in making It's battle plans. Whn
n %stupendous air and sea conflict
meeting of the two greatest nnya
powers in the world would be.