LZ 18

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L 2 during the landing in Berlin-Johannisthal
The catastrophic gas ignition in a motor nacelle of the Zeppelin LZ18
Contemporary artist impression of the crash

The Zeppelin LZ 18 was a German rigid airship and, under the designation "L 2", the second naval airship of the Imperial Navy , which was put into operation before the First World War . However, on the day it was handed over to the Navy, October 17, 1913, it had an accident and burned out completely.

history

Debris of the trunk

After the first marine zeppelin L 1 (hull number LZ 14 ) crashed near Heligoland on September 9, 1913 , LZ 18 was immediately ordered by the navy. In contrast to L 1, L 2 should be equipped with four instead of three motors and thus have better performance data. Overall, the Navy wanted a significantly larger airship. The new zeppelin had three gondolas that were connected by walkways in the fuselage. The bridge gondola was covered with cellulose material to provide weather protection. The supporting body of the LZ 18 contained 18 gas cells, which were for the first time made entirely from gold bat skin .

The airship completed a few test drives under the command of Ferdinand Gluud and was handed over to the Navy on October 17, 1913 after a quiet journey in Berlin . But on the very first start with the naval crew there was a serious accident. At first, one of the four Maybach engines did not start. The take-off was attempted anyway, but no sooner had the ship gained about 200 meters in height above the Johannisthal airfield when a large jet of flame set the outer skin on fire. Within a very short time, the ship burned completely and crashed. The entire crew of 28 men, including Ferdinand Gluud and the department head for the technical area of ​​aviation in the Reichsmarineamt , naval shipbuilder Felix Pietzker , perished.

The airship was the first zeppelin with an internal walkway. The vertical gas extraction shafts built into later models (at that time still under patent protection from Schütte-Lanz ) were not provided for in the LZ 18. As a cause of the crash is assumed that the allfällig from the gas cells diffusing hydrogen - carrying gas has collected in the walkway. Since it could not escape upwards, it was sucked into one of the machine gondolas by the negative pressure that resulted from the travel movement, where it was ignited.

Nevertheless, the naval command decided to purchase more airships, and L 3 (hull number LZ 24 ) began service in May 1914 .

memorial

On the former garrison cemetery, a grave memorial with a tall boulder and an anchor still reminds of the casualties of the L2 .

Rides

  • Maiden voyage on September 9, 1913, then about three more test drives.
  • On October 17, 1913, the transfer trip from Friedrichshafen to Berlin took place.
  • During the second launch on the same day, the airship burned out and crashed.

Technical specifications

Community grave with anchor, Columbiadamm cemetery
  • Carrying gas volume: 27,000 m³ hydrogen in 18 gas cells
  • Length: 158 m
  • Diameter: 16.6 m
  • Empty weight: 20.25 t
  • Payload: 11.1 t
  • Buoyancy: 31.35 t
  • Drive: four Maybach CX motors, each with 134 kW (180 PS)
  • Top speed: 75.48 km / h
  • Range: 2,100 km
  • Maximum climbing height: not tested, estimated 2900 m
  • Crew: 23

literature

See also

Web links

Commons : LZ 18  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Nekrolog Felix Pietzker . In: Yearbook of the Shipbuilding Society, 15, Springer, Berlin 1914, pp. 99-101
  2. ↑ FliegerRevue X, No. 44, p. 12
  3. ↑ A dream of the air explodes in FAZ from October 16, 2013, page 7