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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 0796.PDF
FLIGHT, 10 June 1960 (Left) hydrophone (anti - submarine listening) cable- drum on an S.S. airship; note also the bomb. (Right) Forward - mounted Lewis gun, manned by the wireless operator RNAS AIRSHIP MEMORIES . . . the ground was thick with snow. About 8 p.m. a fresh wind sprangup from the east, the fog lifted from the air station, and it was decided that in view of the possibility of the wind reaching galeforce, and of the impossibility of holding the ships out in the open, they should fly back to base. Z7 and Z19 were the first to leave. It was thought that thepilots must have mistaken for the Polegate base the Aldis lamps used to illuminate the ships on the ground at Jevington. Thelifting mist, coupled with the snow and silvery moonlight, evidently deceived the pilot of S.S. Z7 (Lt R. Swallow, RN) for heattempted to land and struck Z10, ripping her envelope. It is thought that seeing his mistake he then opened his throttle andtried to climb quickly, but the flames from his exhaust ignited the escaping hydrogen from Z10, causing both ships to burst intoflame. Z7 rose to about 400ft and then came down alight from end to end. The pilot was killed instantly, and the other two ofthe crew-members were found severely injured. With the utmost gallantry, the crew of Z10, finding it impossible to move theinjured men, detached the now almost red-hot high-explosive bombs from the burning ship and carried them away to safety,knowing full well that they might explode at any moment. On the recommendation of the C-in-C Portsmouth, both wereawarded the Albert Medal in Gold. Meanwhile the senior flying officer, thinking that the crew ofS.S. Z10 were still in the burning wreckage, dashed to the spot to rescue them. On reaching the car he found the crew had escaped,but before he could get clear of the ship both bombs exploded, blowing off his right arm. For his gallant action he was awardedthe Albert Medal in Bronze. The whole of the personnel of the station were shocked andstunned by these losses, but a magnificent example was set by the commanding officer, Wg Cdr Ivor Fraser, who decided to takeone of the remaining ships left intact on the station for a fly round. This act appeared to break the spell of depression.The year 1918 brought about many changes. The value of airships as a defensive weapon against enemy submarines wasappreciated by higher authority and it was decided to intensify and extend the field of operations to the westward.Two suitable sites where airships could be moored in the open, but protected from high winds by bays cut in the woods, wereselected. One was at Slindon, near Arundel, the other at Upton at the head of Poole harbour. Each of these satellite stations provedtheir worth. They held the patrolling record for the mooring-out airship stations of the United Kingdom. It was during the early part of this year that experiments werecarried out in listening for submarines. Members of the wireless staff had a short course at Newhaven to acquaint themselves(from gramophone records) with the noises created under water by submarines and different types of ships' propellers. Duringnight patrols at about 100ft up, cable was lowered into the water at the end of which was a hydrophone, a torpedo-shaped casecontaining a microphone, while at the receiving end the wireless operator listened on a pair of headphones. Although this broughtno results in finding submarines, knowledge of the device evidently scared them off to safer areas; they could no doubt hearour engine overhead and this prevented them coming to the surface to charge their batteries. The hydrophone did, however,enable us to pick up convoys in the dark. On April 1, 1918, drastic changes in the organization and per-sonnel came about. The Royal Air Force was formed, and although airships and everything connected with them still came underAdmiralty, officers and men became members of the new Service. The month of May 1918 was a record one. With the co-operationof the sub-stations at Slindon and Upton over 1,000 hours of day and night continuous patrolling were achieved, and from May toNovember over 1,000 hours of night patrolling alone were carried out. Submarine activity had been acute up to this time, but it wasa recognized fact that our increased activity played no mean part in keeping the English Channel clear of the underwater enemy. JET FUEL AND SAFETY (Continued from page 788) I am well aware that gasoline-fuelled aircraft have crashed andnot caught fire, or else have burned only slowly, and for this reason it is unwise to speculate on what might have happenedin any one of the above cases had the fuel been JP.4. The list must rather be considered as a whole, in which case it will be seenthat in these accidents, which involved several of great severity, large quantities of kerosine were spilled, sometimes with fire,sometimes without; but that many people managed to escape. This must be more than a series of coincidences. An operator's reluctance to use kerosine instead of JP.4 canonly be justified on the grounds of severe economic handicap, and this brings us to consider briefly two important factors, fuelcost and availability. Obviously, if the oil companies cannot produce kerosine in thenecessary quantities at a price the airlines can afford, then we shall ultimately have to forgo its benefits. Some years ago the oilindustry was saying it would be able to supply whichever fuel the airlines wanted, and that the two fuels were unlikely to com-mand materially different prices. What have the oil companies to say about JP.4 prices today? It seems that IATA air-lines—regardless of safety aspects—are proposing the wide- spread adoption of wide-cut fuel on grounds of economy.If they really want to reduce their fuel bill they should encourage the industry to design for economy, and show greaterwillingness to buy the less thirsty aircraft already available. Sooner or later there is going to be another accident to add to the list; perhaps tomorrow, perhaps in a year's time. It may bea take-off or landing accident to one of the big jets. As the aircraft comes to rest, the deformed structure may disgorge thousands ofgallons of fuel. If it is JP.4 the passengers' chances could be small, for the area can be ablaze within seconds. To go flying entails the acceptance of risk. The business ofthose of us concerned with airworthiness is to identify and reject the greater risk in favour of the lesser, and such identification canbe most difficult. But over this question of fuels and safety the right answer could hardly be more obvious. <"•'• • ARMY AIR CORPS "AT HOME" AN Open Day is being held by the Army Air Corps on Saturday,L July 23, at the Army Air Corps Centre, Middle Wallop, near Stockbridge, Hants. It includes a flying display (from 2.30 p.m. to4.30 p.m.) which will be centred around Chipmunks, Austers and Skeeters. There will also be a parachute drop by No 22 SAS. A number of civilian firms are displaying equipment at MiddleWallop as part of the Open Day, which begins at 12 noon (when the camp is opened to the public) with static and side shows, whichcontinue until 5.30 p.m. Bands of the First and Third Battalions, the Parachute Regiment, will be in attendance throughout theday and refreshments will be available. , v , . -..*<-.-•
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