List of airships of the United States Navy explained

List of airships of the United States Navy identifies the airships of the United States Navy by type, identification, and class.__TOC__

Rigid airships (ZR)

See main article: Rigid airship.

Fabric-clad rigid airships

The fabric-clad rigid airships were given commissions, the same as warships.^[1]

• - served 1923-25, lost 3 September 1925 due to structural failure while in line squalls, 14 killed
• (ZR-2) - British-built as R38, lost 24 August 1921 before US Navy acceptance (and before official use of the ZR-2 designation) due to severe control inputs at low altitude and high speed far in excess of structural strength, 44 killed including 16 USN personnel^{[2] [3]}
• - German-built as LZ 126, served 1924-39 (decommissioned 1932, and dismantled 1940)

• - aircraft carrier served 1931-33, lost 4 April 1933 in a storm, 73 killed
• - aircraft carrier served 1933-35, lost 12 February 1935 due to structural failure, 2 killed

(ZRCV), proposed successor to the Akron class, not built

Other airships

All other airships were registered as aircraft.

Metal rigid airships

• ZMC-2, a metalclad-airship built by the Aircraft Development Corp - 1929-41 (scrapped)

Semi-rigid airships

See main article: Semi-rigid airship.

• O-1 Airship

Blimps (non-rigid airships)

See main article: Blimp.

• A class blimp (experimental)
• B class blimp (patrol & training)
• C class blimp (patrol)
• D class blimp (patrol)
• E class blimp (trainer)
• F class blimp (trainer)
• G class blimp (trainer & utility airship) (ZNN-G^[4]) (ZGT)
• H class blimp (observation)
• J class blimp (trainer)
• K-1 blimp (experimental)
• K class blimp (anti-submarine patrol) (ZNP-K)
  • (ZSG-2, ZSG-3, ZSG-4, ZP5K)
• L class blimp (trainer) (ZNN-L)
• M class blimp (anti-submarine patrol) (ZNP-M)
• N class blimp (anti-submarine patrol & AEW) (ZPN-1, ZPG-1)
  • (ZPG-2, ZPG-2W)
  • (ZPG-3W), largest blimp ever built
• TC class blimp - transferred from US Army
• MZ-3A (experimental) first Navy airship in 40 years

See also

• British blimps operated by the USN
• French Blimps operated by the USN
• Piasecki PA-97
• US Army airships
• List of United States Navy ships

References

• Allen, Hugh, "The Story of the Airship (non-rigid), Akron, Ohio, 1943
• Althoff, William F., "Sky Ships" New York, Orion Books, 1990,
• Grossnick, Roy A., "Kite Balloons to Airships. . . the Navy's Lighter-than-air Experience,", Washington, Government Printing Office, 1986
• Higham, Robin, "The British Rigid Airship, 1908–1931: A Study in Weapons Policy," London, G.T. Foulis & Co Ltd.
• Mowthorpe, Ces, "Battle Bags," Phoenix Mill, Far Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, England, Allan Sutton Publishing, 1995
• Shock, James R., "U.S. Navy Airships 1915-1962, Edgewater, Florida, Atlantis Productions, 2001,
• Vaeth, J. Gordon, "Blimps & U-Boats", Annapolis, Maryland, US Naval Institute Press, 1992,
• Ventry, Lord & Kolesnik, Eugen M., "Airship Saga," Poole, Dorset, Britain, Blandford Press, 1982,

Notes and References

1. News: Christening, Launching, and Commissioning of U.S. Navy Ships . December 2022 . John C. . Reilly . Naval History and Heritage Command . 25 March 2023.
2. Higham, Robin, "The British Rigid Airship, 1908-1931 A study in weapons policy," London, G.T. Foulis & Co Ltd. p. 222, 1961
3. Althoff, William F., "Sky Ships," New York, Crown Publications, p. 17, 1990,
4. http://www.history.navy.mil/download/lta-10.pdf Grossnick, Roy A., "Kite Balloons to Airships. . . the Navy's Lighter-than-air Experience,", Washington, Government Printing Office, 1986