The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-09-08
The zR.2 DISASTER


The appalling disaster in Hull, Eng
land, on August oath, when is Off
GERS and men Of the United States
Navy and rs officers and men of the
British service met their death In the
collapse Of the great dirigible ZR-2
(R-3S) marks the greatest tragedy OF
its kind in history of aeronautics. The
loss of these men is by far the great
er part Of the tragedy. They we're al.
men skilled In aeronautics, some of
them being at the very top of their
profession and. apart from the senti-
mental side Of this great catastrophe,
their loss is a great blow to the sci
ence, which. by their brains, courage
and energy, they helped so much to
advance.
What caused the collapse of the ship
has not been definitely determined at
this writing. There are various ru-
mors or conjectures to the effect that
the Orders and beams in that
vast lattice Of steel that formed the
skeleton Of the ship weakened under
the strain to which the ship was SUBJ
jected in her final trial flight before
her formal transfer to the U. S. Navy.
No doubt the British. Air Ministry will
conduct a rigid and searching inquiry
into the matter. According to the only
American survivor on board the i'll
fated airshlp the accident occurred
when q test began Of the ships control
The ship had been flying along at
about 20 miles an hour when suddenly
there was tremendous crash. The
girders amidslips broke and the ship
split In halves. Both the tail and the
nose Of the ship Immediately pointed
downward and shot rapidly down into
the Humber river. An explosion Of
either hydrogen or petrol occurred i'm
mediately after the girder gave way,
and flames burst through the struc-
ture.
The ZR-2 was the largest airship that
had ever been built. her capacity be-
ing approximately 100000 cubic feet.
Her total length was sos feet and her
greatest diameter IS feet, with total
lift under normal conditions of SO tons.
Her power plant consisted of six sun
beam ''Cossack" engines of $50 h. p,
each, located in six power cars.
Built at the Royal Airship Works at
Cardington. Bedford. England. the zR-
2 was sold to the American Navy.
Work on the construction Of this gil
gantic airship was started in the
spring OF 1918. 1t was designed for
naval purposes. the first consideration
being given to the attainment of the
greatest possible ceiling,-the expert
|enee Of Germany in the use of airships
for scouting and night bombing having
demonstrated the necessity for the
ability to climb rapidly to high alti-
tudes. Fully equipped for service, the
ZR-2 was to carry SO tons Of petro
sufficient for a flight at full speed
(T0 miles per hourl Of 5000 miles, or at
a cruising speed of so miles per hour
of $500 miles, which is equal to the
distance from the British Isle to Japan.
The framework Of the airship was
of Duralumin and consisted of the
usual longitudinal lattice girders.
There were IA main gas compartments
containing the gas bags which were of
fabric and goldbeaters skin. An air.
ship Of this class adapted for CONNER
lcial purposes could carry 40 passengers
and two tons Of freight in a nonstop
equipped with a radio set with send
ing radius Of about 1900 miles, and
with wireless telephone and radio di-
rection finding sets. 1t was controlled
from the control car situated forward.
similar to the bridge of a ship. the
captain controlling the ship exactly
as does the captain Of a seagoing yes
sell
According to newspaper dispatches
from London, Major p. E. Van Nos
trand, Y. S. Air Service, who was 10
have made the trip to the United
States aboard the ship. is quoted as
saying that it was hardly possible that
the hydrogen gas was impure, as that
would have been tested before the
flight, and that the only surmise left
Is that the breaking up OF the dirigi-l
BILE was caused by a gasoline explosion
due either to gasoline vapor from one
OF the engines or through something
happening to the gasoline line or tank.
Had the airship been filled with helium
1t is doubtful If such an accident could