This film is part of Free
U.S.A. Airship Somewhere in England
Coming out, going up and landing – a British-built Sea Scout Zero class blimp is put through its paces with the US Navy
Overview
Coming out, going up and landing - the three essentials of any airship - are on display for newsreel cameras in this US Navy demonstration of a newly constructed Sea Scout Zero blimp. A water-cooled Rolls Royce Hawk with a four-blade propeller mounted above the car provides the main propulsion for this three-man craft. Over land the blimp can’t help but look vulnerable, but over open water and escorting a convoy the Sea Scout comes into its own. A convoy escorted by an airship was far less vulnerable to attack from a U-Boat; any such attempt made it highly likely that the submarine would be spotted from the air and destroyed by depth charges.
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