K-1 (airship)
Encyclopedia
The K-1 was an experimental blimp designed by the United States
Navy
in 1929. Due to the inability to get Congressional
approval for the construction of an airship the navy used the ploy of ordering a "universal" control car (type J/K) which could be used on the J-type airships from the Naval Aircraft Factory. An order was placed with Goodyear
for an envelope for "fuel gas experiments". To complete the deception, there is no record of the US Navy assigning a serial number to the K-1, Standard Army TC type tail fins were procured from Goodyear. Unlike past Navy blimps, the control car was not suspended from external cables, but was hung from cables attached to the top of the envelope, and the car was carried flush against the envelope as in modern blimp
s. The control car carried bunks and a galley so that a relief crew could be carried, and was completely enclosed. The K-1 was also the first Navy blimp to have a taxi wheel. Like the Graf Zeppelin
, the fuel for the K-1 was "blau gas
" a mixture of combustible gases with the same density as air, which meant that the valving of gas as the fuel was consumed was not necessary. The only serious drawback was the tendency of the fuel to leak into the helium which then could not be run through the Lakehurst
purification plant, which meant the expensive helium had to be vented to the air when too contaminated or an overhaul was necessary.
, NJ
in the fall of 1931. After tests it was based at Cape May. In summer 1933 the K-1 was sent to Lakehurst and after the departure of J-4 to Sunnyvale, was with the ZMC-2
, the only flying airships at Lakehurst until 1937. The K-1 last flew in September 1940, and was subsequently used for mooring and snow removal experiments until it was scrapped in October 1941. The K-1 was not a popular airship, tending to fly tail low, and was, despite its amenities, thought to be 'uncomfortable." The K-1 was not the prototype of the later "K Class."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in 1929. Due to the inability to get Congressional
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
approval for the construction of an airship the navy used the ploy of ordering a "universal" control car (type J/K) which could be used on the J-type airships from the Naval Aircraft Factory. An order was placed with Goodyear
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery....
for an envelope for "fuel gas experiments". To complete the deception, there is no record of the US Navy assigning a serial number to the K-1, Standard Army TC type tail fins were procured from Goodyear. Unlike past Navy blimps, the control car was not suspended from external cables, but was hung from cables attached to the top of the envelope, and the car was carried flush against the envelope as in modern blimp
Blimp
A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is a floating airship without an internal supporting framework or keel. A non-rigid airship differs from a semi-rigid airship and a rigid airship in that it does not have any rigid structure, neither a complete framework nor a partial keel, to help the airbag...
s. The control car carried bunks and a galley so that a relief crew could be carried, and was completely enclosed. The K-1 was also the first Navy blimp to have a taxi wheel. Like the Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was a German built and operated passenger-carrying hydrogen-filled rigid airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who was a Graf or Count in the German nobility. During its operating life,...
, the fuel for the K-1 was "blau gas
Blau gas
Blau gas was an artificial illuminating gas similar to propane, named after its inventor, Dr. Hermann Blau of Augsburg, Germany. It was manufactured by decomposing mineral oils in retorts by heat and compressing the resulting naphtha until it liquefied. It was transported in this condition, and...
" a mixture of combustible gases with the same density as air, which meant that the valving of gas as the fuel was consumed was not necessary. The only serious drawback was the tendency of the fuel to leak into the helium which then could not be run through the Lakehurst
Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst
JB MDL Lakehurst is a United States Navy base located approximately south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Lakehurst is under the jurisdiction of the Naval Air Systems Command...
purification plant, which meant the expensive helium had to be vented to the air when too contaminated or an overhaul was necessary.
Operations
K-1 was assembled at LakehurstLakehurst, New Jersey
Lakehurst is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 2,654.Lakehurst was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 7, 1921, from portions of Manchester Township, based on the results of a...
, NJ
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in the fall of 1931. After tests it was based at Cape May. In summer 1933 the K-1 was sent to Lakehurst and after the departure of J-4 to Sunnyvale, was with the ZMC-2
ZMC-2
The ZMC-2 was the only successfully-operated metal-skinned airship ever built. Constructed at Naval Air Station Grosse Ile by The Aircraft Development Corporation of Detroit, the ZMC-2 was operated by the U.S. Navy at Lakehurst, New Jersey from 1929 until its scrapping in 1941...
, the only flying airships at Lakehurst until 1937. The K-1 last flew in September 1940, and was subsequently used for mooring and snow removal experiments until it was scrapped in October 1941. The K-1 was not a popular airship, tending to fly tail low, and was, despite its amenities, thought to be 'uncomfortable." The K-1 was not the prototype of the later "K Class."
General characteristics
- Crew: unknown
- Volume: 319,000 cu ft
- Ballonet: 2, total volume 104,400 cu ft)
- Fuel gas ballonet: 1, volume 51,700 cu ft)
- Length: 219.2 ft)
- Diameter: 53.9 ft (16.4 m)
- Overall height: 70 ft (21 m)
- Useful lift: 7,684 lb
- Armament: none
- Powerplant: Two, Wright R-975-20, 300 hp
Performance
- Maximum speed: 55 knots (108 km/h)
- Cruising speed: 40 knots (78.4 km/h)
- Range at maximum speed: 940 nautical miles (1,740.9 km)
- Range at cruising speed: 1640 nautical miles (3,037.3 km)