Evening star., 1942-01-16
New Coastal Patrol
OF Non-Rigid Airships
Hunts Subs Off Shore
Commander at Lukehurst
Sees Sinkines os Chance
To Prove Its Worth
BY CLAUDE A. MAHONEY,
Star Staff Correspondent.

LAKEHURST, N. j., JAN 16-The
Navy's newest coastal defense unit
a patrol of non-rigid airships-went
grimly about its business OF hunting
submarines from this base post to-
day as the Atlantic Ocean became
more and more dangerous near
shore.
The new unit is known officially
as an Airship Patrol Squadron. AL
though the Navy will not reveal just
where the airships are cruising, an
nouncement was made last week of
creation of the squadron, and
Comdr. George H. Mills, new COM
mander of the airship group. which
will consist of several SquadronS, has
taken the presence of enemy sub
marines along the coast as an Op-
portunity to make vigorous de-
fense of the non-rigid ship as a
coastal defense weapon.
Speaking informally yesterday to
visiting reporters, Comdr. Mills de-
clared that lowering airships could
spot" submarines far below the
surface. and simply await movement
or surfacing of the submarine for
attack He defended the potency of
the airship, declaring it could sink
the submarine with bombs or depth
charges, accurately dropped, or could
notify other fighting craft to make
the kill. The airship is not nearly
so vulnerable as most persons think,
he said, and asserted fatty that an
airship's machine guns could keep
the decks Of submarine clear until
the airShip could get over the sub
and drop its lethal load
Sees Ships as Justified.
Speaking with obvious pride in the
announced plans for creation of
several squadrons like the first Lake
hurst squadron, Comdr. Mills de-
clared that even with the new and
untried equipment the units would
Justify themselves in the search for
the submarines that even now are
sinking American ships along the
Eastern coast.
Even If We saw sub and merely
notified other craft of its location,
and we were shot down ourselves, We
would have done a valuable duty"
he said "Of course, we may have
some of the ships that don't come
back, but every kind of a ship fails
to return now and then. And re-
member this-no airship was ever
torpedoed."
The small, non-rigid airship is
particularly adapted to American
coastal patrol, Comdr. Mills said.
answering critics who in the past
had asked why more non-rigid ships
were not used in the war in Europe.
The United States. after many years
of lukeWarm attitude toward all
types of lighter-than-air craft, has
ordered 48 non-rigid airships, and
soon will establish patrol squadrons
to work from Boston. Mass; Eliza
beth City, N. c., as we'll as Lakehurst
on the East Coast, and to work from
unnamed posts on the West Coast.
I'VE don't expect perfection just
now" said Comdr Mills. up to three
years ago we had nothing but blimps
of World War design to work with"
Cites Safety Factor.
He also scored uniformed per-
sons who argued that a non-rigid
airship would fall as soon as it was
hit, and said that the ships could
almost always land safely, due to the
slow escape of the non-inf1am-
mable helium.
Visitors also saw the airship train
ing class at work, making routine
landings every few minutes on the
windswept field They were taken
on a tour of the post, which in
cluded a demonstration of para
chute packing, one of the most
meticulous tasks in the air service.
Trained students, about to graduate,
packed a chest chute. counting each
motion and counting each tool used
after the motion. They didn't lay