| H class | |
|---|---|
| |
| NAVY H-1 | |
| Role | Observation airship |
| Manufacturer | Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation |
| Introduction | 1921 |
| Retired | 1923 |
| Primary users | United States Navy United States Army |
| Number built | 2 |
The H class blimp was an observation airship built for the U.S. Navy in the early 1920s. The original "H" Class design of 1919 was for a twin engined airship of approximately 80,000 cubic feet volume. Commander Lewis Maxfield (who was to have commanded the ZR-2, better known as the R38, and died in its crash) suggested that a small airship which could be used either as a tethered kite balloon, or be towed by a ship until releasing its cable, would be able to scout on its own.[1] The concept was an airship similar to the later Army Motorized Kite Balloons.
- ^ Shock, James R., U.S. Navy Airships 1915-1962, 2001, Atlantis Productions, Edgewater Florida, ISBN 0-9639743-8-6, page 35