Airship identification, please!

6 March 2006, 05:18 AM

Graeme & Forum

Upon closer examination of 'Battlebags' I found two photos of the HMS Furious and Airships. The first, in the authors private collection, shows the SSZ.59 landing on HMS Furious in the summer of 1918. The second, Fleet Air Arm Museum; neg. no. A/SHIP/114, shows the SSZ.59 aboard HMS Furious with SSZ.60 circling above.

Also, the apparatus on the sides of the airbag were fuel tanks for the motor.

The aircraft on the foredeck is a Sopwith Pup. This was the type used to test the flight decks. Pilot Dunning recorded the first successful landing of an aircraft on a ship, the HMS Furious. Sadly his second attempt did not turn out very well.

(I wonder where Mary got her photograph?)

Cool Breeze,
Moggie

Cigogne · 6 March 2006, 06:25 AM

Moggie,

Looks a bit big to be a Pup, wingspan and all. It appears to be the Pups larger brother, the Sopwith Strutter. You can see the "W" center section struts.

7 March 2006, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moggie

I wonder where Mary got her photograph?

Why, I found it in my own collection the other day!
It was given to me ages ago by an old chap I used to know.

Mary Brigid

Graeme · 7 March 2006, 03:05 PM

I tend to agree that it's a Strutter rather than a Pup. Several of the batch A5951 to A6019 were allocated to HMS Furious at various times between late March 1918 and the end of January 1919, so we've perhaps narrowed the time frame to these 11 months.

Graeme

8 March 2006, 11:29 AM

Okay, it may well be a Strutter.

But from what vantage point was picture #2 taken?

Cool Breeze,
Moggie

pvernon · 8 March 2006, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moggie

Okay, it may well be a Strutter.

But from what vantage point was picture #2 taken?

Cool Breeze,
Moggie

It looks to me that it was probably taken from the mast head of anouther ship. Notice the prop wash in the lower right corner of the photo. As to what that other ship was I don't know. I would think a CL, too high for a DD and if it were a BB or BC I would think that part of the ship would be in the photo.

Alternatly it could be from the other blimp.

After anouther close look at the photo I like the other blimp better. In the center front of the photo you can see the Furious's boat boom and if it were anouther ship it passed real close to the extended boom!

9 March 2006, 06:55 AM

Thanks, guys!

Here's a blow-up of the 'plane... I hope.

Mary Brigid

Tsuru · 9 March 2006, 01:08 PM

Moggie,

Here's another unusual picture!

Regards,
Tsuru

Source:
Book title: Forces Navales
Author: H.P. Willmott
Publisher: Fernand Nathan (1976)

Rod_Filan · 9 March 2006, 09:16 PM

Coastal Class Airship photo: C numbers on some Coastal class were painted in the centre of the gondola. Without seeing a better scan, I'd say this was C18.

Submarine Scout Zero Airship photo: Previously published. Based on the steelnavy.com model, and the obvious proximity of HMS Furious to land, I always suspected this was probably taken near East Fortune, where SSZ59 made its maiden test flight on 17 April 1918.

Rod

10 March 2006, 07:25 AM

Tsuru & Rod,

A very nice photo of a Pup landing! I notice there are no wheels so I'm supposing it's not Squadron Commander E.H. Dunning on the fatefull day his tire burst on landing pitching him over the side. I wonder how many successful landings occured on HMS Furious?

It might verry well be the C.18. With a magniying glass I could detect some identification on the car. I'm leaning towards the C.19. The photos I've seen of the C.18 and the C.19 show the air-scoops in different positions. The C.18 has the air-scoup abaft the forward propellor, early version. Whereas the C.19 has the air-scoop abaft the rear propellor. But perhaps the C.18 was modified later.

Good stuff chaps! It gets the old grey cells working.

Cool Breeze,
Moggie