airships: north pole quest | The Game

The first British airship took flight in 1902, sparking a series of developments that led the British Empire to build a significant fleet of non-rigid and semi-rigid dirigibles, extensively used during the Great War. However, Britain was also the first nation to endure German Zeppelin air raids. From the wreckage of one such downed Zeppelin, the L33, the R33 project was born in 1916—destined to become one of the most successful rigid airships in history.

In service from 1919 to 1928, the R33 distinguished itself through remarkable reliability and performance. Its ‘sister ship,’ the R34, made headlines with its groundbreaking double transatlantic crossing in 1919, flying from the United Kingdom to the United States and back.

Measuring 643 feet (196 meters) in length, with a diameter of 79 feet (24 meters) and a volume of 1,950,000 cubic feet (55,500 cubic meters), the “Rs” were powered by five 275-horsepower Sunbeam Maori engines. They reached speeds of up to 62 mph (99 km/h) and boasted a maximum range of 4,815 miles (7,750 km), carrying a crew of 23.

Germany can be considered the birthplace of airships: in 1895, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin obtained the patent for the largest, most famous, and best-performing airships in history—a legacy that continues to this day, more than a century later. 

World War I brought Zeppelins a mixed reputation—while they were not particularly effective as “war machines”, the conflict nonetheless accelerated their technological development and performance. After the war, Zeppelin and DELAG, the airline managed by Hugo Eckener, returned to designing airships for passenger transport. 

The LZ 120 Bodensee made its maiden flight on August 20, 1919. Though relatively small, it was modern and innovative for its time: initially 396.3 feet (120.8 meters) long (later extended by 10 meters), with a diameter of 61.4 feet (18.7 meters) and a volume of 706,290 ft³ (20,000 m³). It carried a crew of 12, could accommodate up to 27 passengers, and was powered by four Maybach Mb IVa engines (245 hp each), allowing it to reach speeds of 82.3 mph (135 km/h). In 1921, the airship was sold to Italy as war reparations, renamed Esperia, and continued flying until 1928. 

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Adding this is another historical stretch of the game. But, at the beginning of 1924, the LZ120 was certainly the most modern airship in service in the world, even though it no longer belonged to Germany. We know that history is not made with “ifs” and “buts,” but if anyone could have challenged the N-1 in the polar race, that would have been the fast, reliable LZ120. Including it makes for a better game!

Umberto Nobile, designer and engineer, was the director of the military aeronautical construction plant in Rome when, in 1923, the design of a new semi-rigid airship reached the drawing boards. Based on the experiences gained in the Great War, the airship proved to be sturdy, compact, and offered good performance. The N-1 had a volume of 635,664 ft3 (18,000 m3), a length of 348 ft (106 m) and a diameter of 61 ft (18.6 m). Its performance, a speed of 70.2 mph (113 km/h) and a range of 3,100 miles (5,000 km) made it attractive not only for the primary passenger transport role but also for long-distance flights and exploration. The Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen chose it in 1926 to attempt to fly over the North Pole. Strengthened and improved to adapt to its new role, the renamed “Norge” (Norway) was financed by the Norwegian Aero Club, the American magnate Lincoln Ellsworth, and the Italian government. The Norge crossed Europe in stages, reaching Ny-Ålesund (Svalbard) and from there the North Pole on May 12, 1926 to land safely in Teller, Alaska, USA, making the first proven over flight of the rooftop of the world, with a total flight of 8,100 miles (13,000 km).

Of course, we had to include the N-1. It was, in 1926, the winner! It crossed mountains, seas, and eternal ice, challenging the elements and dealing with the difficulties of both logistics and expenses, but managed to drop the flags of Norway, the United States, and Italy on the North Pole. Compact, light, easy to handle, it proved, in the hands of three great explorers, to be suitable for the extreme task. Its twin, the N-4 Italia, repeated the achievement in 1928. But bad weather and head winds caused its loss, after contact with the ground which left part of the airship and crew on the ice while the remainder floated away and were never found.

Japan began to be interested in airships at the end of the 19th Century, gaining its first–the Yamada-shiki for the Imperial Army in 1910. The Nieuport AT-2 (sometimes referred to as the Astra Torres AT-2 or AT-24) was purchased in France by the Imperial Navy and, after being transported to Japan, flew on July 10 of the same year. The Astra-Torres airships have a distinct trefoil section. Large numbers were used in the First World War as anti-submarine patrol craft. The AT-2 was housed in the Kasumigaura hangar, received from Germany for war reparations. Powered by two Sunbeam 300hp 12 cylinder V engines, it was, frankly, slow, with a cruising speed of about 29 mph, (47 km/h) and a top speed of 48 mph, (77 km/h). But it did have a range of 48 hours (970 miles, 1560 km) and good resilience. It was 263 ft (80 m) long with a diameter of 54 ft (16.5 m) and a volume of 363,950 ft3 (10,300 m3). The crew was 7-12 people.

Adding Japan to the game was a deliberate stretch: at the end of the Great War the Empire was pursuing a modernization that led it to become a new world power. The Nieuport AT-2 was not fully suitable for a polar flight, but we included it as a symbol of that series of airships that Japan would have developed (especially with the help of Italy). Japan’s desire for world recognition makes it a natural competitor for the “race” to the North Pole.