FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0948.PDF
SEPTEMBER 13, 1917. that it makes an ideal ' take off ' for the departing aeroplane.The ship is not short—shortness would not be an advantage to the alighting or departing aeroplanes. As shown in thecut, the overall length on the unobstructed upper deck is 560 ft. The upper deck is 50 ft. wide, and that is the widthof the inner hull, but the cellular construction-of the ship's sides bring the total width out to 80 ft. It is a questionwhether 74 ft. total width would not answer quite as well, which would mean a narrowing of the cells by 18 ins. The Cross-section of Mr. John L. Bogert's suggested•-..-•.. . - . mother-ship for aeroplanes. "•'•.*.• % ' S•'_ essential point in this unsinkable construction is that nodiaphragm, partition or bulkhead, whether longitudinal or transverse, horizontal or vertical, reaches from the innerhull to the outer skin. They extend from the outer skin to the mid-skin or intermediate skin, and from the inner skin'to the mid-skin or intermediate skin, but never from the outer skin to the inner skin. The reason is that a torpedo exploding against the outer skin where a partition joins itwould drive the partition inward and loosen its inner joints, so that they would no longer be watertight. The cut of atransverse section of the ship shows that longitudinal wooden stringers can be emplpyed to catch the flying fragments ofouter skin. Each cell then may be 30 ft. long, 7J ft. wide and abcut 10 ft. deep. These cells are served by 3 to 4 ft.manholes, so that one might pass completely round the ship when in port and unloaded without coming out on the maindeck. At sea all-these manholes are clamped watertight by their covers, and the flooding of one does not jnean the flood-ing of any other, provided the force of the explosion has not- sheared the rivets and started the joints. Grain or coal mightbe the cargo carried in these sides. There is one point that - has to be rather carefully considered. It is essential that the 'period of rolling for this vessel shall be as long and easy as possible—not stiff, short and jerky. Otherwise the npperdeck would be an unsatisfactory landing stage. Ships with- out bilge keels whose beam is great in proportion to theirdepth have too great righting power when inclined, and their movements in waves are uneasy. There are two solutions ofthis problem : bilge keels and connected wing tanks with sufficient fluid shifting.from starboard to port and from portto starboard to lengthen the period of roll. In the design and construction of these vessels all necessary precautionswill be taken to keep the metacentric height within proper -limits, and render the upper deck as stable a platform aspossible. " The motive power shown is the Diesel engine, but thatis by no means the probable source of power that will be used in this country. It is much more likely that steam in theshape of geared turbines or triple-expansion engines will be selected by the powers that be, because we have done so littlewith the large Diesel engine here, we have too few men skilled in their manufacture or handling. In Europe, espe-cially in Denmark or Holland, no difficulty would be ex- perienced in getting suitable 4-cycle Diesel engines of amplepower nor well-trained men to run thenu " Whatever the source of power, whether oil engine orsteam, the funnels, smoke-stacks or exhaust pipes must make use of ' dipping' mechanism similar to that indicated in theillustrations ; it must be possible to lower them out of the way of the aeroplanes whenever the latter are alighting on thedeck." Aerial Mails in Mexico." IT is stated from Mexico City that three regular aerialmail services are now1 in operation between that point and Vera Cruz, Queretaro and Pachuca, the time for the. firstbeing 4 hours, the second 2 hours, and the third 45 minutes. Aviators from Cuba for France. '~ FROM Havana is announced by Col. Manuel Coronado,member ot the Cuban Senate, the organisation of an aviation •unit which will be offered to France with complete equip-ment. Since the declaration of war against Germany on April 8thCuba has been co-operating with the Allies in several ways, but it is probable that the Escadrille Cubaine, as the flying,unit will be called, will be the first body of fighting men from Cuba to serve on French soil. Lufbery's Record Mounting. WITH the two enemy machines brought down onSeptember* 4th and 5th, 2nd Lieut. Lufbery, of the Lafayette squadron, has now destroyed 11 German machines. Amongother distinctions, Lieut. Lufbery, it is stated, has received the British Military Medal. By courtesyJ'Flying " [New York).A flying-boat's-eye view of Jacksonville, U.S.A. ' 948
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
