Roma (airship): Difference between revisions

Roma
Role	Training airship
National origin	Italy
Manufacturer	Stabilimento Construzioni Aeronautiche (SCA)
Designer	Umberto Nobile
First flight	September 1920
Status	Destroyed in crash 21 February 1922
Primary user	United States Army
Number built	1

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Roma was an Italian semi-rigid airship, originally designated the T-34. ^{[citation needed]} It was purchased by the United States from the Italian government for $250,000 in 1921. It served in the US Army until February 21, 1922, when it crashed in Norfolk, Virginia, killing 34 people aboard, with 9 survivors. It was the last hydrogen filled airship flown by the US military; all subsequent ships were inflated with helium.

Design and development

The Roma was designed by Celestino Usuelli, the engineers Eugenio Prassone, Umberto Nobile and Colonel Gaetano Crocco.^[1] It was the first project of the Stabilimento Costruzioni Aeronautiche ("Aeronautical Construction Factory"), for the partnership of Nobile, Usuelli, Croce and Giuseppe Valle. The T-34 was designed for trans-Atlantic crossings carrying up to 100 passengers, though initially fitted for 25.^[1] It was the largest semi-rigid airship in the world.^{[citation needed]}

As a semi-rigid design it was built about a rigid keel - though the keel was partially articulated to allow some flexibility. The passenger spaces and control cabin were within the keel. The engines, 400 hp Ansaldo 4E-2940 V-12s,^[2] were mounted outside, angled such that the slipstreams would not interfere with each other.^[1]

Service

In September 1920, Roma made its first trial flight.^[3]

The airship was purchased by the United States Army for $200,000^[a]^[5](over $3.3 million in 2020 dollars)^{[citation needed]}. In March 1921, the Roma flew the 300 miles from Rome to Naples and back carrying the US Ambassador.^[6]

The Roma was dismantled, packed in crates and transported by ship to the United States arriving in August 1921. After being reassembled, Roma flew again on 15 November 1921 with minor problems.^[7]

The original Italian Ansaldo engines were replaced with six Liberty L-12's after the official christening of the airship in December, 1921.^[8]

Crash

The Roma crashed in Norfolk, Virginia during test flights on February 21, 1922. The crash was caused by failure of the airship's box rudder system, which allowed it to maneuver over tight areas. Witnesses reported seeing the entire box rudder slip sideways and the uncontrollable airship flew straight into the ground. Just before the bow struck the ground, the Roma contacted high voltage power lines, and burst into flames. A total of 34 were killed, 8 were injured, and 3 escaped unharmed. Among the dead was the airship's pilot, Captain Dale Mabry. The event marked the greatest disaster in American aeronautics history at the time.

Master Sergeant Harry A. Chapman earned the Cheney Award for his heroics during the crash. He was the first recipient of the award and it was presented by President Calvin Coolidge in 1928.

Specifications

Data from ^[9]

General characteristics

Length: 125 m (410 ft 0 in)
Diameter: 25 m (82 ft 0 in)
Height: 28.04 m (92 ft 0 in)
Volume: 33,810 m³ (1,193,000 cu ft)
Empty weight: 34,500 kg (76,000 lb)
Useful lift: 19,100 kg (42,000 lb)
Powerplant: 6 × Liberty L12 , 300 kW (400 hp) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 128 km/h (80 mph, 70 kn)
Cruise speed: 90 km/h (56 mph, 49 kn) ^[10]
Range: 4,800 km (3,000 mi, 2,600 nmi) ^[11]

References

Notes

^ Sheppard gives $184000, negotiated down from $475000 ^[4]

^ ^a ^b ^c Flight (1920) p1044
^ Sheppard p31
^ Flight 23 September 1920 p.1021
^ Sheppard p32
^ New York Times
^ Flight 24 March 1921 p.202
^ Flight 29 December 1921 p.862
^ New York Times February 22, 1922
^ New York Times. 22 February 1922.
^ Flight p1044
^ Flight p1044

Bibliography

"The "Roma" Disaster", Flight, XIV (688): 140, 2 March 1922, archived from the original (pdf) on 6 March 2016, retrieved 20 August 2011
"The New Italian Usuelli Semi-rigid airship", Flight, XII (614): 1044–1045, 30 September 1920, archived from the original (pdf) on 5 March 2016, retrieved 20 August 2011
Tampa Times, February 22, 1922. Page 1.
"Roma was Largest Semi-rigid Airship" (PDF). New York Times. 22 February 1922.
Smith, Alfred Emanuel (December 7, 1921). "Photo: Trial Flight Of The Dirigible "Roma" At Langley Field, Virginia". The Outlook. Vol. 129. p. 554. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
Smith, Alfred Emanuel; Walton, Francis (March 3, 1922). "The Destruction Of The Roma". The Outlook. Vol. 130. pp. 369–370. Retrieved 2009-07-30.

Nancy E. Sheppard (25 January 2016). The Airship ROMA Disaster in Hampton Roads. Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-62585-669-2. OCLC 944247591.

[5] Sheppard gives $184000, negotiated down from $475000 ^[4]

[Flight19201044-1] Flight (1920) p1044

[2] Sheppard p31

[3] Flight 23 September 1920 p.1021

[4] Sheppard p32

[6] New York Times

[7] Flight 24 March 1921 p.202

[8] Flight 29 December 1921 p.862

[9] New York Times February 22, 1922

[NYT-10] New York Times. 22 February 1922.

[11] Flight p1044

[12] Flight p1044

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@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 ==Crash==
-[[File:Roma-burning.jpg|thumb|The smoldering skeleton of the ''Roma'' after it crashed into high tension lines]].
+[[File:Roma-burning.jpg|thumb|The smoldering skeleton of the ''Roma'' after it crashed into high tension lines]]
 The ''Roma'' crashed in [[Norfolk, Virginia]] during test flights on February 21, 1922. The crash was caused by failure of the airship's box rudder system, which allowed it to maneuver over tight areas. Witnesses reported seeing the entire box rudder slip sideways and the uncontrollable airship flew straight into the ground. Just before the bow struck the ground, the ''Roma'' contacted high voltage power lines, and burst into flames. A total of 34 were killed, 8 were injured, and 3 escaped unharmed. Among the dead was the airship's pilot, Captain [[Dale Mabry]].  The event marked the greatest disaster in American aeronautics history at the time.