SSP class airship

The SSP (Submarine Scout Pusher) were a class of Royal Navy non-rigid airship or "blimp" developed by the United Kingdom during World War I as a successor to the earlier SS class airship. Found to be inferior to a parallel development, the Submarine Scout Zero non-rigid, only a few were built. The main role of these craft was to escort convoys and scout or search for German U-boats.[1]

SSP class
Role Patrol airship
National origin United Kingdom
Introduction 1917
Primary user Royal Navy
Number built 6

Design and development

In 1916, design commenced at RNAS Kingsnorth on an SS class -type airship that would have a more comfortable purpose-built car,[2] and not simply be an adaptation of an aeroplane fuselage. The SSP cars were of rectangular cross-section, had a blunt nose, and could accommodate a crew of three.[3]

As the name suggests, the SSP was powered by a 100 hp (75 kW) Green engine mounted on bearers to the rear of the car, powering a 9 ft (2.7 m) diameter four-bladed propeller in pusher configuration. Four examples of the type were later fitted with 75 hp (56 kW) Rolls-Royce Hawk engines.[3]

Six SSPs entered service between January and June 1917,[4] but because of the success of the SSZ type it was decided that these would become the standard SS variant, and the SSP programme was terminated.[3]

Operators
 Royal Navy

Specifications

Data from [4]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 3
  • Length: 143 ft 5 in (43.7 m)
  • Diameter: 30 ft 0 in (9.1 m)
  • Height: 43 ft 5 in (13.2 m)
  • Volume: 70,000 cu ft (2,000 m3)
  • Useful lift: 1,570 lb (710 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Green , 100 hp (75 kW) or
  • Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Hawk , 75 hp (56 kW)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 52 mph (84 km/h, 45 kn)
  • Endurance: 24 hours
  • Rate of climb: 500 ft/min (2.5 m/s)

See also

References
Notes
  1. SS-class airships Airship Heritage Trust. Retrieved on 25 March 2009.
  2. Twenty-One Years of Airship Progress. flightglobal.com. Retrieved on 28 March 2009.
  3. Whale (2008), p.60.
  4. SSP-class airship specifications and logs. AHT. Retrieved on 25 March 2009.
Bibliography
  • Whale, George (2008). British Airships: Past Present and Future. Toronto, Canada: Bastian Books. p. 124. ISBN 0-554-30772-3.
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