Zeppelin LZ 64

The Imperial German Navy Zeppelin LZ 64, given the tactical number L 22, was a Q-class / L20-class World War I zeppelin of the Imperial German Navy.

LZ 64 (L 22)
Zeppelin LZ 64 (L 22) damaged in Toska
Role X-class reconnaissance-bomber rigid airship
National origin German Empire
Manufacturer Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
Designer Ludwig Dürr
First flight 3 March 1916
Retired Destroyed by RNAS Curtis H12 flying boat flown by Flight Commander Robert Leckie (later Air Vice Marshal) near Terschelling on 14 May 1917 during a reconnaissance mission.[1]
Primary user Imperial German Navy
Number built 1

Operational history

LZ 64 carried out thirty reconnaissance missions, including 8 attacks on Britain, dropping 9,215 kg (20,316 lb) of bombs.

Last mission

Lieutenant Robert Leckie (a Canadian) of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), was sent on a mission on 14 May 1917, as pilot of Curtiss Model H-12 Large America 8666, under the command of Flight Lieutenant Christopher John Galpin. The aircraft left Great Yarmouth on patrol at 03.30 a.m. in poor weather, with heavy rain and low cloud. The weather cleared as they approached Texel, and at 4:45 a.m. they spotted Brandaris, (the lighthouse on Terschelling), and a few minutes later LZ 64 about 10–15 mi (9–13 nmi; 16–24 km) away. The Curtiss increased speed and gained height, with Leckie at the controls as Galpin manned the twin Lewis guns mounted in the bow.

The Curtiss managed to approach to within 0.5 mi (0.4 nmi; 0.8 km) before she was spotted, and the Zeppelin attempted to evade, but by then it was too late. The aircraft dived down alongside and Galpin fired an entire drum of incendiary bullets at a range of about 50 yd (46 m). Zeppelin L 64 rapidly caught fire, and crashed into the sea. The Curtiss returned to Great Yarmouth by 7:50 a.m., and they found only two bullet holes, in the left upper wing and the hull amidships, where the Germans had returned fire.[2][3] Leckie was also credited in the downing of LZ 112.

Specifications (LZ 64)

Data from Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893-1940[4]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 16
  • Capacity: 17,900 kg (39,463 lb) typical disposable load
  • Length: 178.5 m (585 ft 8 in)
  • Diameter: 18.5 m (60 ft 8 in) maximum
  • Fineness ratio: 9.55
  • Volume: 35,800 m3 (1,260,000 cu ft) in 18 gas cells
  • Empty weight: 23,650 kg (52,139 lb)
  • Useful lift: 41,550 kg (91,600 lb)
  • Powerplant: 4 × Maybach HS-Lu engines[5] 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engines, 180 kW (240 hp) each
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propellers

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 95.4 km/h (59.3 mph, 51.5 kn)
  • Range: 4,300 km (2,700 mi, 2,300 nmi) maximum

See also

References
  1. Thetford, Owen Gordon (1962). British Naval Aircraft Since 1912. Putnam. p. 80. ISBN 9780370300214.
  2. Powis, Mick (2017). The Defeat of the Zeppelins: Zeppelin Raids and Anti-Airship Operations 1916-18. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 9781526701497. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  3. "Robert Leckie". London Gazette (30147): 6255–6256. 22 June 1917.
  4. Brooks, Peter W. (1992). Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893-1940. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 91-95. ISBN 1560982284.
  5. "Luftschiff/Airships". globalsecurity.org. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
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