www.military.ie the defence forces magazine
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Once a U-boat's
captain realised
that he had been
spotted from
the air, he had to
dive, thus reduc-
ing the speed of
his submarine
considerably,
limiting his vi-
sion by having
to rely on his
periscope alone,
and limiting the
range of his ves-
sel by using up
valuable battery
power.
No other
contemporary
aircraft could
match the air-
ships' endurance
or slow-speed
capability, so af-
fording convoys
close protection.
During the entire
war there was
only one instance
of a ship being
sunk while being
escorted by
an airship.
In all, 147 SS and SSZ type airships were built. They were small masterpieces of
contemporary technology, easy to fly, cheap to build and, despite the fact that
they were filled with hydrogen, safe to operate. They were not for the faintheart-
ed, however, as patrols of ten hours duration were common in open cockpits,
exposed to the cold and at the mercy of the elements.
The original ledger, which is still held at the Northern Bank in Whitehead, shows
that a bank account in the name of the RNAS was opened on the 26th October 1915
under the authorising signature of the OC, Sub-Lieutenant Archibald Creighton.
ABouT The AuThor: Guy Warner is a regular contributor to An Cosantóir.
he has researched this topic extensively and has written a book on the subject,
Airships over ulster: Royal Naval Air Service Airships During the First World War,
which was published in 2012 (priced €10.00, ISBN: 978-1780730080). Guy has
written many more aviation books over the years. his most recent are: Military
Aviation in Northern Ireland: An Illustrated history - 1913 to the Present Day
(with Ernie Cromie, in September 2012) and Sycamores over ulster: Royal Air
Force Support to the Security Forces During the Border Campaign, 1956-1962 (May 2013). he has also given an illustrated talk
on these airships many times and would be more than willing to do so again anywhere in Ireland.
Princess Maud in Larne Harbour
SSZ 37 (op from Johnstown Castle)
SSZ 58 at Malahide
SZZ at Malahide
SSZ Johnstown Castle
U-boats surrendered in Larne Lough at the end of the war
