At the start of World War 1 (1914-1918), the British air service could claim just six airships to its name. This inventory eventually grew as the war advanced and airships and blimps played an ever-increasing role throughout the conflict until matched by the latest fighters and "blimp busters". The North Sea-class airships - or NS-class - of Britain were developed as non-rigid (lacking an internal framework structure) for Royal Navy Air Service (RNAS) operation in mind and arrived in 1917, a first-flight recorded on February 1st of that year. Fourteen of the class were eventually completed and the series flew into the early 1920s. One of the stock was N.S.7 which managed to survive the remainder of the war. She was based out of East Fortune for her part in the conflict.
Airships of the period were used to provide crucial wartime service such as submarine hunting, maritime reconnaissance, naval artillery direction and convoy escort.
As a class, the ship's design carried a crew of ten personnel and were powered by 2 x Rolls-Royce Eagle engines of 250 horsepower. These were later replaced on some airships by 2 x Fiat engines of 240 horsepower each. Performance included a maximum speed of nearly 60 miles per hour with an endurance window of 24 hours and a service ceiling of 9,500 feet.
Three to five 7.7mm Lewis Gun machine guns were carried for point defense against marauding enemy fighters. A bombload of 1,380lb was made up of conventional drop stores.
Of the fourteen NS-class airships available, just six were in service at the end of the war. N.S.7 was used as an aerial escort of the surrendered German High Seas Fleet in the voyage to Rosyth after the war. The airship completed its final flight on October 25th, 1921.
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.
Length
262.0 ft (79.86 m)
Width/Span
54.1 ft (16.50 m)
Height
69.2 ft (21.10 m)
Empty Wgt
4,409 lb (2,000 kg)
MTOW
8,818 lb (4,000 kg)
Wgt Diff
+4,409 lb (+2,000 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base N.S.7 (North Sea-class) production variant)
Installed:
EARLY: 2 x Rolls-Royce Eagle engines developing 250 horsepower each; LATER: Fiat engines developing 240 horsepower each.
OPTIONAL:
Up to 1,380lb of conventional drop ordnance across six hardpoints.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 6
NS7 - Base Series Designation
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com.
Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org, the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft, and SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane.
