Zeppelin LZ 24

The Imperial German Navy Zeppelin LZ 24 (L 3) was a M-class World War I zeppelin.

LZ 24 (L 3)
LZ 24 (L 3)
Role M-class reconnaissance-bomber rigid airship
National origin German Empire
Manufacturer Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
Designer Ludwig Dürr
First flight 11 May 1914
Retired Last seen over North Sea on 17 February 1915
Primary user Imperial German Navy
Number built 1

Operational history

After 24 reconnaissance missions over the North Sea, L 3 participated in the first raid on England on 19 January 1915. On 17 February 1915 it was abandoned after a forced landing in Denmark, caused by engine failure compounded by strong headwinds and insufficient fuel. The wind was so strong it blew the airship, now unmanned but with engines still running, out to sea.[1]

Specifications (LZ 24 / M2-class zeppelin)

Data from Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893-1940,[2] The Zeppelin Airships - Part Two: Zeppelins of the Great War 1914–1918[3]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 16
  • Capacity: 9,200 kg (20,283 lb) typical disposable load
  • Length: 158 m (518 ft 4 in)
  • Diameter: 14.9 m (48 ft 11 in) maximum
  • Fineness ratio: 10.61
  • Volume: 22,470 m3 (794,000 cu ft) in 18 gas cells
  • Empty weight: 16,900 kg (37,258 lb)
  • Fuel capacity: 4,000 kg (8,818 lb) maximum
  • Useful lift: 26,100 kg (57,500 lb)
  • Powerplant: 3 × Maybach C-X 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engines, 130 kW (180 hp) each
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propellers

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 84 km/h (52 mph, 45 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 80.5 km/h (50.0 mph, 43.5 kn)
  • Range: 2,200 km (1,400 mi, 1,200 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 2,800 m (9,200 ft) static

Armament

  • Guns: 4x machine-guns

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to LZ 24 / L 3.

Bibliography

Notes

  1. Lehmann 1927, p. Lehmann Chapter V.
  2. Brooks, Peter W. (1992). Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893-1940. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 72-77. ISBN 1560982284.
  3. "The Zeppelin Airships - Part Two: Zeppelins of the Great War 1914–1918". Puget sound airship society. Retrieved 28 January 2011.

'References

  • Lehmann, Ernst A. (1927). The Zeppelins. The Development of the Airship, with the Story of the Zeppelin Air Raids in the World War. trans. Mingos, Howard. Sears.
  • Massie, Robert K. (2003). Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 9781588363206. - Total pages: 880
  • Robinson, Douglas Hill (1973). Giants in the Sky: A History of the Rigid Airship. University of Washington Press. ISBN 9780295952499. - Total pages: 376
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