New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-08-05
Navy Dirigible's
Cross-Sea Trip
Starts Aug. 25
Largest Rigid Airship Ever
Built Expects to Better
Time Made by R.34
on First Atlantic Flight
L. S. Grew to Guide Her
ZR-2 Will Soar Above Cities
Here in NJ aking Her
Way to Lakehurst Hangar
From The Tribune's Washing son bureau

FROM me 1rtbune's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, Aug 4. The United
Staee's navy's great new rigid airship
the ZR-2, just completed in England,
Will start her flight across the Atlantic
on Thursday, August Is, according to
an announcement made at the Navy
Department to-day
Under the guidance of Commander
l.. Il. Maxtield, U. S. n, who will be
IN command of the twelve officers and
thirty men of the navy who will con-
atltuto her crew, the dirigiblc will
leave Howden, England. and head out
to sea on the second aerial Europe-to-
America trip in history.
The course of the ZR-2 will bring
her across the North Atlantic and
carry her over the larger cities of the
Atlantic Coast line, ending at the han
gar at Lakehurst, N. j., which is be-
ing rushed to completion to house her
Leaving Howden, where she was
built, the ZR-2 will be heavily laden
carrying her full capacity of fuel. To-
prevent loss of gass and to conserve
ballast she will fly at a low altitude
AS she proceeds to sea she will climb
10 higher altitude, which it is ex-
pected Will be maintained until the
American shore is reached.
Largest Ever Built
In July, 1919, it took the British air
snip, the R-34, 108 hours and II min
utes to reacL Hazelhurst Field, N. Y,
from East Fortune, Scotland. The
ZR-2, which is faster than the R-34
Shout Id make the trip in less time, pro
vlded westerly winds are not too
strong. AT this time of the year the
winds across the Atlantic are from the
west and blow from fifteen to twenty
miles an hour, but, in spite of this
handicap, 1t is thought that the ZR-2
will have plenty of gasoline to spare
when she reaches the American coast.
The ZR-2 is the largest rigid air
snip yet constructed in any country.
her gas capacity being 100000 cubic
feet more than that of the ex-German
airship LII, which was surrendered to
Great Britain under the peace treaty.
The ZR-2 was designed for naval
purposes and the first importance was
given to the attainment of tho great
est possible height, the experience of
Germany in the use of airships for
scouting and night raiding having
shown the necessity for ability to
The construction of the ZR-2 marks
a very definite advance in airship
practice, as she is the first ship of
a purely new design and not merely a
copy OF previous craft.
Her Length Cos Feet
The main dimensions and character
istics of the ZR-2 are as follows:
Length, SOS feet; diameter IS fee
inches; capacity, 2,700,0O cubic feet:
total lift under normal conditions, 83
tons; total horsepower, 2,10O; engines,
8 Sunbeam "Cossack"; normal crew
officers and mem, IS and 80.
The disposable lift, that is, the useful
lifting power available for petrol ana
oil, crew. store. ornaments, ballast,
etc. as originally designed was in ex-
cess of fifty tons, as against thirty
tons in the case of R-34, bat some re-
duction of this figure will follow from
various additions which have been
made, such as bow motoring gear
to permit of the airship beeing moored
to a mast
The hull structure is, in general
principles, of standard type, such as
was used in the Zeppelin airships, but
a very considerable saving of structural
weight has been effected by large
y.
is built of duralumin, and consists CT
a number of longitudinal lattice grid
ers connected transversely b. other
lattice girders, which form series Of
rings, the longtudinals and rings be-
ing braced by wires.
This structure contains fourteen
partments, in each of whjcn is Il
gas bag made of fabric and goldbeat-
ers' skin. Inside the bottom Of the
airship amt running from end to end
is corridor containing the aluminium
petrol tanks, the fabric water ballast
bags, accommodate for bombs and
the sleeping and living quarters of the
crew when off duty.
She Has Six Propellors
This corridor is also the means Of
communication between the various
cars and control stations, and of entry
from moorlng mast at the extreme
bow
The airship is driven by six large
twobladed propellers actuated by six
Sunbeam "Cossack" engines Of $50
horse power. Each power unit is
housed in a separate car which is sus-
pended below the hull by means Of
wires and is reached from the hull by
means of short ladder The six
power cars are placed in pairs, side
by side, in three groups
The main control station Of the air
ship is IN small car near the bow.
This car rs not suspended below the
hull in tho cacn IF tho no,,o,