ITALIAN DIRIGIBLES.
Reading edition
Army.Navy.
Name and Date. P1. 1909. P2 & P3. 1910 & 1911. P4 & P5. both 1912. Citta di Milano 1912. Parseval. (P.L. 17). 1912-13. M1. 1912. M2 & M3. 1912 & 1913.
Volume c. feet 148,000 155,000 166,000 424,000 353,000 424,000 424,000
(m³.) (4200) (4400) (4700) (12000) (10000) (12000) (12000)
Length feet (m.) 197 (60) 207 (63) 207 (63) 233 (72) 279 (85) 272-1/3 (83) 272-1/3 (83)
Diameter feet (m.) 38 (11.60) 38 (11.60) 39-1/3 (12) 59 (18) 52-1/2 (16) 56 (17) 56 (17)
Gas bags fabric Silk Continental Continental ... Riedinger Metzeler Metzeler
compartments 7 8 8 ... 0 ... ...
ballonets 1 1 1 ... 2 ... ...
Lift total tons 3.50 3.50 3.75 ... ... 9.50 9.50
useful tons 1.10 1.35 1.50 ... 3.00 3.80 3.80
Motor h.p. 1-100 C. Bayard (=100) 1-120 C. Bayard (=120) 2-80 Fiat (=160) 2-85/100 Isotta (=170/200) 2-170 Maybach (=340) 2-250 Fiat (=500) 4-125 Wolseley (=500)
Propellers number 2 2 2 2 2 Parseval 2 2
blades 2 2 2 3 4 4 4
diameter feet (m.) 10 (3) 10 (3) 10 (3) 14 (4.20) ... 12-1/2 (3.80) 12-1/2 (3.80)
Max. speed m.p.h. (km.) 32 (52) 35 (56) 37 (60) 45 (72) 40 (65) 44 (70) 44 (70)
Full speed endurance hrs. ... ... ... ... 20 12 12
Max. complement 5 5 5 ... ... 14 14
Station Bracciano Tripoli Vigna di Valle Baggio Venice Bracciano
Notes: All the above are semi-rigid. The P and M are all of the same general type. Principal features of these ships, which were designed by Captains Crocci and Ricaldoni, are the shape of the envelope, (maximum diameter very far forward), keel and the box kite tail. The Citta di Milano (semi-rigid) is an enlarged Leonardo da Vinci (which see). Special feature is the keel built into the envelope. This serves as a nacelle.
Building.—One Parseval (P.L. 15) about the same size as the other (P.L. 17), which was completed first.
Army Dirigible Pilots.
Agostoni, Capt. Biffi, Ten. Bosio, Ten. Crocco, Capt. G. Dal Fabbro, Capt. C. Denti di Piraino, March, Capt. Gallotti, Ten.
Longo, Ten. Manni, Ten. Menenti, S. Ten. Merzari, Capt. Messina, Ten. Munari, Capt. E.
Pastina, Capt. Ricaldoni, Capt. A. Scelso, Ten L. Seymandi, Capt. G. Stabarin, Ten. Tagliasacchi, Ten.
Navy Dirigible Pilots.
Carniglia, Ten. d. vas. Gravina, Ten. d. v. Conte M. Penco, Ten. d. v., A.
Ponzio, Ten. d. v., E. Scelsi, Capt. di f., G.
Valerio, Sot. V. Valli, Ten. d. v., G.
P.I.
Elevation of P. I. The later ships only differ in dimensions, and the fact that the middle rudder is done away with.
Dirigibles M1 & M2.
Citta di Milano.
Parseval (P.L. 17). First Italian Parseval.
ITALIAN PRIVATE DIRIGIBLES.
Name and date. Ausonia bis. Reconstructed 1910. Italia I. 1905. Italia II. 1913. Leonardo da Vinci. 1909. Usuelli. 1909.
Volume (m³.) (1500) (1500) (2600) (3265) (3870)
Length feet (m.) 121 (37) 128 (39) 164 (50) 131-1/4 (40) 167-1/3 (51)
Diameter feet (m.) 27 (8.25) 19-3/4 (6) 32-3/4 (10) 46 (14) 32 (9.80)
Gas bags fabric ... ... ... ... ...
compartments nil. nil. nil. 7 6
ballonets 1 nil. nil. 1 1
Lift total tons ... 1.35 2.20 3.00 ...
useful tons 0.80 ... ... ... ...
Motor h.p. 1-55 h.p. S.P.A.1-40/50 Antoinette 1-50 h.p. 1-40 Antoinette 1-80 h.p. S.P.A.
Propellers number 1 1 2 2 2
blades 2 2 2 5 2
diameter, feet (m.) 10-3/4 (3.20) 15 (4.50) 10 (3) 9 (2.70) ...
Max. speed m.p.h (k.m.) 25 (40) 25 (40) ... ... 30 (50)
Full speed endurance hrs. ... ... ... ... 6
Max. complement ... ... ... ... ...
Station Bosco Mantico Schio building Laid up at Baggio near Milan Turin
Notes:
Ausonia. Nico Piccoli, via Accademia 12, Padova (Padua). Works: Magré, Vicenza (Schio). Semi-rigid.
Italia. Cont Almerico da Schio, Schio. Non-rigid. Special features is a "belly" of Para rubber in lieu of a ballonet.
Leonardo da Vinci. Ing. Enrico Forlanini, via Boccaccio 21, Milan. Works: Baggio. Semi-rigid, keel and nacelle, incorporated in envelope.
Usuelli. Usuelli and Borsalini, Torino (Turin). Non-rigid.
Private Dirigible Pilots.
Forlanini, ing. E. Piccoli, D. Usuelli, C.
Italia.
Usuelli.
FORLANINI. Uniform Dirigible Scale.
Leonardo da Vinci.