Zeppelin LZ 86

The Imperial German Navy Zeppelin LZ 86 (L-39) was a R-class World War I zeppelin.[1]

LZ 86 / L 39
The wreckage of Imperial German Navy Zeppelin LZ 86 (L 39) after being shot down on March 17 1917
Role R-class reconnaissance-bomber rigid airship
National origin German Empire
Manufacturer Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
Designer Ludwig Dürr
First flight 11 December 1916
Retired Decommissioned in September 1918.
Primary user Imperial German Army
Number built 1
B&W photo of men in uniform
L 39's crew with Robert Koch in the middle

Operational history

Two reconnaissance missions around the North Sea; one attack on England dropping 300 kg bombs.

Destruction

Returning to Imperial German airspace the airship was destroyed by French flak near Compiègne on 17 March 1917.[2]

Specifications (LZ 80 / Type R zeppelin)

Data from Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893–1940 [1]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 17-19
  • Capacity: 32,400 kg (71,430 lb) typical disposable load
  • Length: 198 m (649 ft 7 in)
  • Diameter: 23.9 m (78 ft 5 in) maximum
  • Fineness ratio: 8.24
  • Volume: 55,200 m3 (1,950,000 cu ft) in 19 gas cells
  • Empty weight: 31,400 kg (69,225 lb)
  • Gross weight: 32,908 kg (72,550 lb)
  • Fuel capacity: 6,250 kg (13,779 lb)
  • Useful lift: 63,800 kg (140,700 lb)
  • Powerplant: 5 × Maybach HS Lu 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engines, 180 kW (240 hp) each
  • Propellers: 4-bladed Lorenzen fixed-pitch propellers

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 103 km/h (64 mph, 56 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 81 km/h (50 mph, 44 kn)
  • Range: 7,400 km (4,600 mi, 4,000 nmi) at 81 km/h (50 mph; 44 kn)
  • Service ceiling: 3,900 m (12,800 ft) static
  • Rate of climb: 10 m/s (2,000 ft/min) maximum permitted (r-class)

Armament

  • Guns: machine-guns in hull-top positions and gondolas
  • Bombs: up to 60 bombs to a total of 5,000 kg (11,023 lb)


See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to LZ 86 / L 39.

Bibliography

Notes

  1. Brooks 1992, pp. 95–99.
  2. Robinson 1971, p. 389.

References

  • Brooks, Peter W. (1992). Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893–1940. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 95–99. ISBN 9781560982289.
  • Robinson, Douglas Hill (1971). The Zeppelin in Combat: A History of the German Naval Airship Division, 1912-1918. Foulis. ISBN 9780854291304. - Total pages: 417
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