Evening star., 1928-05-11
D|R|G|DLE LANDS 3'>
ON MOVING SHIP
First Experiment of Kind Ever
Accomplished Holds Many
Possibilities.
ey the Aasociated Pres..

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, May 1.-THE first
landing of an airshfp on the deck of a
moving steamer, accomplished off AM
brose Lightship, was hailed by ship
ping men today as demonstrating the
feasibility OF shore-to-ship service to .
speed transatlantic travel.
The Army non-rigid dirigible effected
the landing yesterday on a specially
constructed platform on the United
States Shipping Board liner American
Trader, while the ship proceeded on It's
way to Plymouth and London at a speed
Of six knots an hour.
Passenger Picked Up.
The dirigible remained on the steam
er's deck three minutes, while letters
were delivered and passenger picked
up, and then cast of again and re-
turned TO her hangar at Lakehurss,
N. j. The test was conducted by the
Army and the Shipping Board
T. v. OConner, chairman of the
Shipping Board, was elated.
"The landing of the TC-5 on the
American Trader" he said, marks q
further step N the coordination Of
the air and water transportation in the
development of the American Merchant
Marine. This experiment has demon
strated beyond doubt that under nor
NAL weather conditions 1t is C1sSible
for nghter-than-air craft to rest ON
the deck IF an ocean steamer, exchange
passengers and mail and proceed with
out having interfered with the progress
of the shir"
The American Trader left her Man
haitian dock at p.n., while the TC-5
took of at the same time from the
aviation field at Lakehurst, N. j., piloted
by Lieut.. Starkey Of Langley Field. as
assisted by Lieut.. u. q. Ent
As the American Trader neared the
rendezvous miles OF the Ightship
shining IN the late afternoon sun, nosed
slowly up behind the steamer and
dropped lines TO the deck.
Pulled Down by Soldiers.
The lines were grabbed by a landing
crew of 20 soldiers from Governors
Island. and the blinp was pulled down
| to the platform, which had been erected
on the poop deck of the steamer
A wind of 10 miles an hour was
blowing, but did not interfere with the
landing to any extent.
The platform on which the TC-5
landed was 20 feet wide and 80 feet
long. The blimp's gondola is 20 feet
long thus allowing only 10 feet leeway
on each end for the landing. A ventfia-
tor and the flagstaff on the tailrail had
been unshipped, giving the big bag deck
space Of 10 feet. Her nose projected
| forward between the liners kingposts
and her stern swung high In the afr.
The TC-5, which is about one-third
the size Of the dirigihle Los Angeles,
also was the first airship to make q
successful landing on the top of q
building. This was accomplished some
| tine ago on the roof Of the high school
| building at Newport News, Va. The
home field Of the blimp Is Langley
| Field. Va.
The feat of the TC-5 was not the
| first time an airship had been landed
on a ship, as the Los Angeles made .
successful landing on the deck Of the
| aircraft carrier Saratoga on January
| 81. The Saratoga's landing deck Is
| much larger than the tiny platform
| built on the American Trader, how
ever and she had every facility for
| handling the Los Angeles. ss
| Clarence d. Chamberlin proved the
feasibility of an airplane taking Off
| from an ocean liner when he few from
the deck Of the Leviathan to Curtiss
Field. but yesterdays test was the firSt
time the shore-to-ship trip lad been
accomplished.