ZS2G-1 Blimps

At first the development of a modern airship smaller than the Nan ships, and specialized for the "blue water" antisubmarine role was hidden under the deceptive name SP5K, making it appear that it was a continuation of the upgraded K-ships. This was not the case, the airship was an entirely new design owing nothing to the K-ships. The prototype was Goodyear model GZ-10 (XZPK5K), the production models were GZ-15. The ZP5K/ZS2G airships were easily identified by their inverted Y tail surfaces. The control car was designed around the avionics operators positions, and was longer than that of the K-ships. A total of 18 ZS2G type airships were delivered, one GZ-10, 17 GZ-15.

Operations

All but eight of the ZS2G blimps were operated from Lakehurst, two were operated by ZX-11 at Key West, Florida, and six were operated by ZP-4 at Weeksville, North Carolina. Before the last ZS2Gs were delivered to Lakehurst, the VP-4 ships at Weeksville were being mothballed as that base was being closed. By the spring of 1959 less than a year after the final delivery, all but one of the ZS2Gs were in war ready storage. The last flew as an experimental ship at Lakehurst until the termination of the Navy's Lighter Than Air program in 1961. All ZS2G envelopes had been scrapped by September 1961.

pecifications ZS2G-1

General characteristics

* Crew: 11
* Volume: 670,000
* Ballonet: forward, 79,200 cu ft; aft, 90,300 cu ft
* Length: 285 ft
* Diameter: 68t
* Overall height: 96 ft
* Overall width: 68 ft
* Static lift: 41,600 lbs
* Dynamic lift: 6,000 lbs
* Powerplant: Two Wright R-1300-4, 700 hp, Curtis electric 3-bladed variable pitch propellers

Performance

* Maximum speed: 73 knots
* Cruising speed: 50 knots
* Endurance at 40 knots: 27 hours
* Rate of climb: 2,400 feet per minute
* Ceiling: 9,000 ft

References

*Shock, James R., "U.S. Navy Airships 1915-1962", Edgewater, Florida, Atlantis Productions, 2001, ISBN 0-9639743-8-6
*Althoff, William F., "Sky Ships" New York, Orion Books, 1990, ISBN 0-517-56904-3