NationStates Jolt Archive

Due to recent demands, the TATC has started construction of a new military line of airships. Each airship is constructed by order, and thus we have no “extra” lying around. The TATC maintains its right to sell to any client it chooses, and to decline a client under any circumstances.

We are now open for bussiness.

Airrships Avialable:
Submarine Scout Class, Non Rigid Airship
Coastal Class, Non Rigid Airship
SL1 Class, Rigid Airship
SL2 Class, Rigid Airship

Non Rigid

Submarine Scout Class
http://www.aht.ndirect.co.uk/airships/ss/images/SS_23.jpg

It was decided as hostitities seemed grew worse in 1914 that airships would be useful for Fleet observations following the possibility of losses of many ships to submarines in a naval war. A new smaller ship was required with the basic requirements that it should have a speed of between 40-50 mph, carry a crew of two, 160lb of bonbs, wireless equipments and fuel for 8 hours flying. They should be able to reach an altitude of 5,000ft and their design be simple in order to both ease production adn to facilitate training of the crews.

The main requirement was that the new airship, designated the Submarine Scout class had to be in the air within weeks rather than months.

At this time the rigid airship programme also started production. More air stations were also planned along the coast of Tunisia in. Together with those already commissioned they were soon to provide a chain of bases strung around the coars from which airship patrols could fly out reguarly to comat submarines. Wireless and ground bases were also key to this chain with the co-operation between air and see being vital. Patroling airships were required to transmit their callsign every hour enabling thier positions to be tracked and plotted. It meant that an airship commander can call his exact position when the call forhelp to the precise spot; a vital element in the anti submarine strategy.

The co-operation was essential between air and sea forces in that no airship could cary more than a tiny fraction of the armament available to a destroyer of even an armed merchantman ship, yet no surfaceship could approach the speed of an airship or command the same wide vision. The airship was to primarily call for find the submarine then call for help. The advantage was that in the clear waters of the mediterrenean a submereged enemy could often be seen as deep as 120ft (20 fathoms) but in northern waters the direct detection was more difficult. The advantage though was that periscope moving through the water made a destinctive feather wake and there were often signs which gave the presenece of a submarine. Small amounts of oil frequently leaked and could be spotted as a trail on the surface of the water. Also a damaged submarine would leak more and be easily spotted.

Equipped with small bombs, these ships could not only “observers” but also active participants to the fleets battles. It is fact that a U-Boat on patrol, once spotted by airship, has a choice of either moving away or engaging the airship in a race. The battle was between the U-Boat surfacing and being able to mount his gun and try to bring down the airship, whilst at the same time the airship would be signalling the location of the U-Boat to the fleet, and preparing to drop it’s bomb, before the U-Boat could take a shot at the ship.

The demand was so great for these Scout ships in Tunisia that various versions were constructed. The following designations were given: SS / SSP/ SSZ (Zero’s)/ SSE/ SST(Twin). Only the SSZ class is available for foreign export.

Envelope capacity...................................................... 70,000 cubic feet
Ballonets.................................................................. Ballonets (two) capacity 19,600 cubic feet
Length...................................................................... 143 feet 5 inches
Diameter................................................................... 30 feet
Height....................................................................... 46 feet
Plane area (each)....................................................... 110 square feet
Car boat-shaped, streamlined,length............................ 17 feet 6 inches
Engines.................................................................... 75 hp Rolls Royce
Propeller Four-bladed.................................................9 feet diameter
Petrol tanks.............................................................. (two) capacity ;120 gallons total
Water ballast............................................................. capacity 26 gallons
Gross lift................................................................... 2.2 tons
Disposable lift ........................................................... 0.6 tons
Endurance at full speed.............................................. 17 hours
Top speed................................................................. 53 mph
Climb........................................................................ 1,200 feet per minute
Turning circle............................................................. 40 seconds minimum, 230 diameter
*Equipped with machine guns*

$2500 each

Coastal Class
http://www.aht.ndirect.co.uk/airships/coastal/images/C1.jpg

As the hostilities in Europe progressed, and the designs of the raiding Zeppelins improved, so did the design and performance of the Tunisian Coastal defence airships. The “SS” Class ships had proved not only a deterrant and protection for submarines, but they could also engage the enemy threat as well. A larger ship was therefore required with a bigger bomb load, and longer airborne duration. The “Coastal” Class was born..

The urgent need for a non-rigid airship to carry out anti-submarine patrol having been satisfied for the time with the production of the S.S. B.E. 2C type, the airship designers of the Tunisian Air Service turned their attention to the production of an airship which would have greater lift and speed than the S.S. type, and, consequently, an augmented radius of action, together with a higher degree of reliability. As the name "Coastal" or "Coast Patrol" implies, this ship was intended to carry out extended sea patrols.

Using a Illorian Astra Torres ungainly looking tri-lobed envelope and based on the original design, a new larger scoting ship was required to have a longer duration and heavier bomb load. Design and advancement on the envelope also progressed with an unusual “Tri-lobe” design. This was seen as a stronger, more aerodynamic. Again, the use of existing technology was used to keep the costs down and production speeds up with demand. The gondola was based on two tail-less Avro shorterned aeroplane fuselages connected end to end, and carried 2 engines in tandem. This produced a four of five seater car. The prototype was delivered in early 1913 with other copies to follow.

The Tri-lobe envelope was 196 feet long and a capacity of 170,000 cft. The ridges in the envelope was connected to fabric curtains inserted to help maintain the shape. Four ballonets were also fitted, two in each of the lower lobes, and a single scoop consisting of a single sheet of aluminium tuble of oval cross section reached down towards the forward propellor. Current versions of the ship have a scoop at the rear propellor. Single skids replaced the normal undercarriage and also protected the propellers. The rigging was also the same type as seen in an existing Astra Torres ship.

The Coastals were fitted with a larger bomb load, a wireless, and 2 machine guns, one of which was on top of the envelope. This was accessed by a tube and rope ladder from the gondola. Sometimes commented as the "ugliest" dirigibles ever made, these ships sometimes were erretic and unstable in flight. The responsiveness in the controls was sluggish and often caused the crew to be airsick. However one of the main advances in airship technology was the very high rate of climb which the coastals managed to provide.

The shape of the envelope was not all that could have been desired, for it is by no means a true streamline, but had the same cross section for the greater part of its length, which tapered at either end to a point which is slightly more accentuated aft. Owing to the shape, these ships, in the early days until experience had been gained, were extremely difficult to handle, both on the landing ground and also in the air. They were extremely unstable both in a vertical and horizontal plane, and were slow in answering to their rudders and elevators. The shape has since then been more streamlined

The envelope is composed of rubber-proofed fabric doped to hold the gas and resist the effects of weather. Four ballonets are situated in the envelope, two in each of the lower lobes, air being conveyed to them by means of a fabric air duct, which is parallel to the longitudinal centre line of the envelope, with transverse ducts connecting each pair of ballonets. In earlier types of the Coastal, the air scoop supplying air to the air duct was fitted in the slip stream of the forward engine, but later this was fitted aft of the after engine.

Six valves in all are used, four air valves, one fitted to each ballonet, and two gas valves. These are situated well aft, one to each of the lower lobes, and are fitted on either side of the rudder plane. A top valve is dispensed with because in practice when an Astra-Torres envelope loses shape, the tendency is for the tail to be pulled upwards by the rigging, with the result that the two gas valves always remain operative.

Crabpots and non-return valves are employed in a similar manner to S.S. airships.

The Astra-Torres system of internal rigging must now be described in some detail. The envelope is made up of three longitudinal lobes, one above and two below, which when viewed end on gives it a trefoil appearance. The internal rigging is attached to the ridges formed on either side of the upper lobe, where it meets the two side lobes. From here it forms a V, when viewed cross sectionally, converging at he ridge formed by the two lobes on the underside of the envelope which is known as the lower ridge.

To the whole length of the top ridges are attached the internal rigging girdles and also the lacing girdles to which are secured the top and side curtains. These curtains are composed of ordinary unproofed fabric and their object is to make the envelope keep its trilobe shape. They do not, however, divide the ship into separate gas compartments. The rigging girdle consists of a number of fabric scallops through which run strands of Italian hemp. These strands, of which there are a large number, are led towards the bottom ridge, where they are drawn together and secured to a rigging sector. To these sectors the main external rigging cables are attached. Ten main suspensions are incorporated in the Coastal envelope, of which three take the handling men, the remaining seven support the weight of the car.

The horizontal fins with the elevator flaps, and the vertical fin with the rudder flap, are fixed to the ridges of the envelope.

The car has evolved in the first instance by cutting away the tail portion of two Avro seaplane fuselages and joining the forward portions end on, the resulting car, therefore, had engines at either end with seating accommodation for four. The landing chassis were altered, single skids being substituted for the wider landing chassis employed in the seaplane. The car consists of four longerons with struts vertical and cross, and stiffened with vertical and cross bracing wires. The sides are covered with fabric and the flooring and fairing on the top of the car are composed of three-ply wood. In the later cars five seats were provided to enable a second officer to be carried.

The engines are mounted on bearers at each end of the car, and the petrol and oil tanks were originally placed adjoining the engines in the car. At a later date various methods of carrying the petrol tanks were adopted, in some cases they were slung from the envelope and in others mounted on bearers above the engines.

Wireless telegraphy is fitted as is the case with all airships. In the Coastal a gun is mounted on the top of the envelope, which is reached by a climbing shaft passing through the envelope, another mounting being provided on the car itself.

Bombs are also carried on frames attached to the car. Sunbeam engines originally supplied the motive power, but now a 220 horse-power Renault was fitted aft and a 100 horse-power, Berliet forward. With the greater engine power the ship's capabilities were considerably increased.

Exceedingly long flights were achieved by this type of ship, and those exceeding ten hours are far too numerous to mention. The moot noteworthy of all gave a total of 24 1/4 hours, which, at the time, had only once been surpassed by any Tunisian airship.

Envelope capacity...................................................... 170,000 cubic feet
Ballonets................................................................... Ballonets 4 capacity 51,000 cubic feet
Length...................................................................... 195 feet 6 inches
Diameter................................................................... 37 feet
Height....................................................................... 52 feet 1 inch
Plane area (each)....................................................... 110 square feet
Car .......................................................................... 33 feet 9 inches
Engines.................................................................... Two 150 hp water-cooled Sunbeams. Later, after Sunbeam replaced by 220 hp Renault. Forward engine sometimes re- placed by 100 hp Berliet or similar
Propeller Four-bladed.................................................9 feet diameter
Petrol tanks............................................................... (two) capacity ;220 gallons total
Water ballast............................................................. capacity 85 gallons
Gross lift................................................................... 4.94 tons
Disposable lift ........................................................... 1.6 tons
Endurance at full speed.............................................. 11 hours
Endurance at half speed............................................. 22 hours
Top speed................................................................. 52 mph
Climb........................................................................ 1,000 feet per minute
Turning circle............................................................. 40 seconds minimum,
Ceiling...................................................................... 8,000 feet

$3,500 each

Rigid

The SL1

The TATC airship SL1 will surpass the contemporary Zeppelin airships in performance in nearly every way. It adopts the Zeppelin ring-girder construction method, but retains the streamlined shape and plywood construction of the earlier military test airship, SL0. SL1 will also the most significant airship to date in that it lays down two vital design innovations that will be copied in almost all subsequent rigid airships. The first is the cruciform tail plane, with a single pair of rudders and elevators. The second is the location of the engines in separate streamlined gondolas or cars. A third innovation, for war service, is the mounting of heavy machine guns for defense against attacking aircraft in each of the engine cars.


Length: 144 meters
Diameter: 18.2 meters
Gas Capacity: 25,000 cubic meters
Performance: 88.2 km/h
Payload: 8 tonnes
Engines: 4 Maybach 720 hp/537 kW total
Ceiling: 1800m (6000ft)

$10,500 each

The SL2
Improved form of the SL1. Higher payload, more and larger bombs, and six machine guns. (two on top, one on the right, one on the left, two on bottom)

Length: 153.1 meters
Diameter: 19.75 meters
Gas Capacity: 32,390 cubic meters
Performance: 84.6 km/h
Payload: 13.2 tonnes
Engines: 4 Maybach 840 hp/626 kW total
Celing: 1950m

$15,000 each

Now Open

The New Roman Empire would like to purchase three Custom SL2's that are capable of carrying 583mm Torpedoes as well as bombs. The torpedoes are supplied by us and use a drag chute to slow its descent enough so it isn't damaged when it hits the water.

Adjusted price would be $15,400 for torpedo chute. If this is acceptable, production shall begin at once, provided you give us your intended design for these chutes.

We agree to the price and will ship over some of the torpedoes immediately for you to design the chutes around.

Excellent. A pleasure doing bussiness with you.

We wish to purchase the submarine scout class, under the Gewtz military designation of the AS-1 and an SL2 class, under the Gewtz military designation of WB-2.

How many of the submarine scout class do you wish? Your SL2 class is in production.

Two.

They'll be ready in a week. We thank you for choosing TATC for your airship needs.

Bautzen would like to buy 5 SL2 Airships, we would ask for them to be made with 2 more machine guns than the default version making it 3 machine guns both on top, and bottem, and one on the left and right. Please inform us of the price, and the projected time of completion.