On This Day in History: March 5, 1912

On this day in history, a dirigible was first used for military purposes.  A dirigible is a type of airship, with a large cylindrical gas bag built of rigid aluminum or duraluminum girders and cross-girders covered with cloth, which holds a gas that is lighter than air; at that time hydrogen was used.  Attached to it is a steering mechanism, a propulsion system, and a gondola for transporting people.

Invented by a Frenchman named Count Ferdinand Von Zeppelin, they were often called zeppelins in his honor.  Although the Germans were the first to use a dirigible commercially in 1910, the Italians were the first to put it to military use.  In 1912 they began using dirigibles for reconnaissance flights behind Turkish lines west of Tripoli.    

During World War I the Germans used them as bombers on both the Eastern and Western fronts, although they never became really effective offensive weapons.  As defensive weapons they excelled, however.  The British and Americans both used them to patrol their coastlines and also as convoy protection.

America was the last country to stop using dirigibles in the military. They still use unmanned blimps, however; mainly for search and rescue, photographic, message relay, and mine-clearing missions.  Blimps are different from dirigibles in that their airbag is non-rigid, depending on the gas to keep their shape.  They are used in many capacities besides the military; primarily for search and rescue, photographic excursions, and to monitor outdoor commercial events like sports.

Dirigibles as commercial ships were extensively used in Germany between 1910 and 1914 without even one accident.  They reached their peak between World War I and World War II.  But as the processes for extracting helium became better, it was much favored over hydrogen as it was much less apt to blow up.  Helium did not have the lift capability, though, and non-rigid airships like blimps, which were much lighter, became more popular than the dirigibles.

In 1937 a dirigible burst into flames and killed 36 people.  After that their commercial use declined quickly, and no more were built until 1997, when the Zeppelin NT was built with improved technology and design that made it more maneuverable and safer.  It was also designed to effectively use helium for lift instead of the flammable hydrogen.

Dirigibles are beginning to make a comeback now.  A German company has built four dirigibles of the Zeppelin NT class, used for pleasure trips and sightseeing tours.  Two are stationed in Lake Constance, Germany, where the company was founded.  Two others spend time in different locations including the Netherlands, Japan, the UK, and just recently, one has harbored in California near San Jose.

Sources:

Encyclopedia2

The Zeppelin NT

Zeppelin Tours