1925-dirigble target towing

[old hoodoo]

I just read that the Shenadoah towed a target for the USS Texas anti-aircraft guns with success. The target was 50' long 10' in
diameter and was peppered by the Texas at 3000 feet. An interesting use for the lighter-than air ship.

AL

[W. D. Allen Sr.]

The Navy also had two dirigibles in the 1930s that could launch and recover
fighter planes while in flight.

WDA

end


"old hoodoo" > wrote in message
...
> I just read that the Shenadoah towed a target for the USS Texas
anti-aircraft guns with success. The target was 50' long 10' in
> diameter and was peppered by the Texas at 3000 feet. An interesting use
for the lighter-than air ship.
>
> AL
>
>

[Mike Kanze]

At typical "poopy bag" flight speeds and 3,000 ft. AGL, this was probably no
great challenge to any competently-trained AAA battery. Still, I would not
have wanted to be riding in the gondola - the bag itself makes a very large
and tempting target.

At least SHENANDOAH (ZR-1) was a helium airship - think of what a
well-misplaced AAA round would have done to a hydrogen airship.

See http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/ac-usn22/z-types/zr1-v.htm for more
detail.

--
Mike Kanze

"The Project Uncertainty Principle says that if you understand a project,
you won't know its cost, and vice versa."

- Dilbert, August 6 2003


"old hoodoo" > wrote in message
...
> I just read that the Shenadoah towed a target for the USS Texas
anti-aircraft guns with success. The target was 50' long 10' in
> diameter and was peppered by the Texas at 3000 feet. An interesting use
for the lighter-than air ship.
>
> AL
>
>

[B2431]

>From: "W. D. Allen Sr."
com>
>
>The Navy also had two dirigibles in the 1930s that could launch and recover
>fighter planes while in flight.
>
>WDA
>

The Akron and Macon. The airplane was the F9C Sparrowhawk.

It is interesting to note that the only big ridgid airship the U.S. had that
lived long enough to retire, Los Angeles, was made by the Germans. It
specifically built for the U.S. by the Germans as war raparations for WW1.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired