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Zeppelin LZ 54
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Zeppelin LZ 54
Zeppelin LZ 54, given the military tactical designation L 19, was a Zeppelin of the Imperial German Navy. While returning from her first bombing raid on the United Kingdom in early 1916, she came down in the North Sea. Its crew survived the crash, but drowned after the crew of a British fishing trawler King Stephen refused to rescue them, citing fears that the Germans would overpower them. The incident received worldwide publicity and divided British public opinion, and was used in German propaganda.
LZ 54 was one of 22 P-class military Zeppelins built by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin for the Imperial German Army and Navy as improved versions of the pre-war, M-class airship, with larger gas volume and more power, having four instead of three engines. These were initially 180 horsepower (134 kW) Maybach C-X engines; later replaced with the 240 horsepower (179 kW) Maybach HSLu. LZ 54 had two gondolas, a control cabin forward with a single engine and rear gondola mounting the other three engines. The P-class Zeppelins were around 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) faster than the earlier craft, and had a higher service ceiling, double the payload and over double the range.
A bomb load of 1,600 kilograms (3,530 lb) could be carried and a number of MG 08 machine guns were mounted for aircraft defence. The number of guns varied – army Zeppelins carried more as they operated over land and enemy aircraft were a greater threat, navy Zeppelins carried fewer to save weight. The guns were mounted in the two gondolas under the airship, in a tail gun position, and on a dorsal gun platform on the top of the envelope. This upper platform could accommodate three guns and their gunners. The airship's normal complement was 18, but it could be flown with a smaller crew.
LZ 54 first flew on 27 November 1915, completing 14 flights during her nine weeks of service. Several of these flights were patrols over the North Sea, searching for Allied merchant and naval ships. Naval scouting was the main role of the navy's Zeppelin fleet, and a total of 220 such flights were carried out during the war.
The lack of aggressive activity by the German Navy meant the tactical need for such scouting was reduced. During the winter of 1915, LZ 54 became well known to neutral merchant ships in the North Sea due to her frequent patrols. On one occasion, she touched down close to a Swedish ship to inspect her. The ship was allowed to proceed when her neutral status was established.
On another occasion, she and two other Zeppelins forestalled a British air raid by discovering, to the north of Terschelling, an approaching flotilla of three Royal Navy seaplane tenders, an apparent British attempt to repeat their successful Cuxhaven Raid. The British were surprised while lowering their seaplanes into the sea.
Commanded by Kapitänleutnant Odo Löwe, L 19 left her Danish base at Tondern at noon on 31 January 1916, one of nine navy Zeppelins to raid England that night. This was part of a new, more aggressive strategy that had been brought to the German Navy with the recent appointment of Reinhard Scheer as its commander-in-chief. The head of German naval airships, Fregattenkapitän Peter Strasser, was on board L 11, leading the attack personally. He had orders to bomb targets of opportunity in central and southern England, reaching Liverpool if possible.
The Zeppelins encountered thick fog in the North Sea, followed by rain clouds and snow off the English coast, and the attacking force became dispersed; the nine airships crossed the English coast between 17:50 and 19:20. L 19 was the very last, crossing the coast near Sheringham. At 22:45, she reached Burton on Trent, becoming the third raider to attack the town that night. She then proceeded south, dropping the remainder of her bomb load on several towns on the outskirts of Birmingham. At 00:20, a pub in Tipton was destroyed; buildings were also damaged in nearby Walsall and Birchills.
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Zeppelin LZ 54
Zeppelin LZ 54, given the military tactical designation L 19, was a Zeppelin of the Imperial German Navy. While returning from her first bombing raid on the United Kingdom in early 1916, she came down in the North Sea. Its crew survived the crash, but drowned after the crew of a British fishing trawler King Stephen refused to rescue them, citing fears that the Germans would overpower them. The incident received worldwide publicity and divided British public opinion, and was used in German propaganda.
LZ 54 was one of 22 P-class military Zeppelins built by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin for the Imperial German Army and Navy as improved versions of the pre-war, M-class airship, with larger gas volume and more power, having four instead of three engines. These were initially 180 horsepower (134 kW) Maybach C-X engines; later replaced with the 240 horsepower (179 kW) Maybach HSLu. LZ 54 had two gondolas, a control cabin forward with a single engine and rear gondola mounting the other three engines. The P-class Zeppelins were around 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) faster than the earlier craft, and had a higher service ceiling, double the payload and over double the range.
A bomb load of 1,600 kilograms (3,530 lb) could be carried and a number of MG 08 machine guns were mounted for aircraft defence. The number of guns varied – army Zeppelins carried more as they operated over land and enemy aircraft were a greater threat, navy Zeppelins carried fewer to save weight. The guns were mounted in the two gondolas under the airship, in a tail gun position, and on a dorsal gun platform on the top of the envelope. This upper platform could accommodate three guns and their gunners. The airship's normal complement was 18, but it could be flown with a smaller crew.
LZ 54 first flew on 27 November 1915, completing 14 flights during her nine weeks of service. Several of these flights were patrols over the North Sea, searching for Allied merchant and naval ships. Naval scouting was the main role of the navy's Zeppelin fleet, and a total of 220 such flights were carried out during the war.
The lack of aggressive activity by the German Navy meant the tactical need for such scouting was reduced. During the winter of 1915, LZ 54 became well known to neutral merchant ships in the North Sea due to her frequent patrols. On one occasion, she touched down close to a Swedish ship to inspect her. The ship was allowed to proceed when her neutral status was established.
On another occasion, she and two other Zeppelins forestalled a British air raid by discovering, to the north of Terschelling, an approaching flotilla of three Royal Navy seaplane tenders, an apparent British attempt to repeat their successful Cuxhaven Raid. The British were surprised while lowering their seaplanes into the sea.
Commanded by Kapitänleutnant Odo Löwe, L 19 left her Danish base at Tondern at noon on 31 January 1916, one of nine navy Zeppelins to raid England that night. This was part of a new, more aggressive strategy that had been brought to the German Navy with the recent appointment of Reinhard Scheer as its commander-in-chief. The head of German naval airships, Fregattenkapitän Peter Strasser, was on board L 11, leading the attack personally. He had orders to bomb targets of opportunity in central and southern England, reaching Liverpool if possible.
The Zeppelins encountered thick fog in the North Sea, followed by rain clouds and snow off the English coast, and the attacking force became dispersed; the nine airships crossed the English coast between 17:50 and 19:20. L 19 was the very last, crossing the coast near Sheringham. At 22:45, she reached Burton on Trent, becoming the third raider to attack the town that night. She then proceeded south, dropping the remainder of her bomb load on several towns on the outskirts of Birmingham. At 00:20, a pub in Tipton was destroyed; buildings were also damaged in nearby Walsall and Birchills.
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