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Zeppelin LZ85
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{|{{Infobox aircraft begin
{|{{Infobox aircraft begin
|name = LZ 55
|name = LZ 55
|size=300px
|image = Zeppelin brought down on the marches near mouth of the Varder River during the Salonika Campaign.jpg
|image = Zeppelin brought down on the marches near mouth of the Varder River during the Salonika Campaign.jpg
|caption =Zeppelin LZ 55 (Army tactical number LZ85) brought down on the marshes near mouth of the Varder River during the Salonika Campaign
|caption =Wreckage of LZ 55 on the marshes near mouth of the Varder River during the Salonika Campaign
|alt = <!-- Alt text for main image -->
|alt = <!-- Alt text for main image -->
}}{{Infobox aircraft type
|type = P-class reconnaissance-bomber rigid airship
|national origin = [[German Empire]]
|manufacturer = [[Luftschiffbau Zeppelin]]
|design group = <!--Only design group(s) different from the manufacturer -->
|designer = [[Ludwig Dürr]]
|builder =
|first flight = 12 September 1915
|introduction =
|introduced = <!--Date the aircraft entered or will enter military or revenue service -->
|retired = 5 May 1916 - {{HMS|Agamemnon|1906|6}} damaged LZ 55 on 5 May at Salonika with a shell from a 12-pounder and forced it to crash-land.
|status = <!--In most cases, redundant; use sparingly-->
|primary user = [[Imperial German Army]]
|more users = <!-- Limited to THREE (3) "more users" here (4 total users). List users with {{plainlist}} or {{unbulleted list}}. -->
|produced = <!--Years in production (e.g. 1970–1999) if still in active use but no longer built -->
|number built = <!-- Total number of flight-worthy aircraft completed. -->
|program cost = <!--Total program cost-->
|unit cost = <!--Incremental or flyaway cost for military or retail price for commercial aircraft-->
|developed from = <!--The aircraft which formed the basis for this aircraft-->
|variants with their own articles = <!--Variants OF this aircraft-->
|developed into = <!--For derivative aircraft based on this aircraft-->
}}
}}
|}
|}


'''Zeppelin LZ 55''' (Army tactical number '''LZ 85''') was a [[Zeppelin P Class|P class Zeppeling]] of the [[Imperial German Army]] in [[World War I]]. It was shot down by the old British pre-dreadnough battleship [[HMS Agamemnon (1906)|HMS ''Agamemnon'']] in 1916 during [[Macedonian front|Salonika campaign]]
[[File:Wreckage of LZ 85 next to the White Tower of Thessaloniki.jpg|thumb|ALT=B&W photo of wreckage next to w round castle|Reconstructed wreckage of LZ 55, next to the White Tower]]
[[File:Wreckage of LZ 85 next to the White Tower of Thessaloniki.jpg|thumb|ALT=B&W photo of wreckage next to w round castle|Reconstructed wreckage of LZ 55, next to the White Tower]]
The Imperial German Army Type P Zeppelin '''LZ 55''', confusingly given the tactical number '''LZ 85''', was a [[World War I]] zeppelin of the [[Imperial German Army]]


==Crash==
==History==
⚫
[[File:HMS Agamemnon searchlight crew Salonika 1916 IWM Q 31980.jpg|thumb|Searchlight crew on HMS ''Agamemnon''re-enacting spotting the Zeppelin<ref>{{cite web |others=photographer Ariel Varges |date=1916|url = https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205297559|title =Q 31980 |quote=<!-- Searchlight operators on board the battleship HMS AGAMEMNON recreating the moment they illuminated Zeppelin LZ. 85 -->|publisher = [[Imperial War Museum]]| accessdate = May 4, 2020 }}</ref>]]
[[File:Zeppelin brought down on the marches near mouth of the Varder River during the Salonika Campaign 165-BO-0873 cropped.jpg|thumb|ALT=B&W photo of an Airship's skeleton| Zeppelin brought down on the marches near mouth of the Varder River during the Salonika Campaign ]]
On 5 May 1916 {{HMS|Agamemnon|1906|6}} was on patrol of the shores of Greece when its spotlight operators saw something in the sky. They shined their beam on the Zeppelin allowing its [[QF 12 pounder 18 cwt naval gun|12-pounder]] anti-aircraft gun to fire on the Airship.{{sfn|Varges|1916|p=}} The shells damaged the LZ 55 and forced it to crash-land.{{sfn|Burt|1988|p=298}} {{sfn|Tennyson|2013|p=478}} {{sfn|Buxton|2008|p=}} The Zeppelin crashed in the swamps at the mouth of the [[Vardar|Vardar River]] and its crew were captured. The crash site soon became a tourist attraction, "a dozen Canadian nurses. They had come up ... and waded through to it. What a sight they did look, skirts up round their waists wading through mud and slime up to their knees."{{sfn|Moody|Wakefield|2011|p=}}
On 5 May 1916 LZ55 made another attack on Thessaloniki (Salonika) harbour. Part way through the attack it was caught in spotlights.{{sfn|Moody|Wakefield|2011|p=}} and all the ships in the area opened fire with their anti-aircraft guns.{{sfn|Buxton|2008|p=}} LZ55 continued its attack but {{HMS|Agamemnon|1906|6}} [[QF 12 pounder 18 cwt naval gun|12-pounder anti-aircraft gun]] hit LZ 55; breaking it in half according to one of the crew. The airship crashed in the swamps at the mouth of the [[Vardar|Vardar River]] west of [[Thessaloniki]] and its crew were captured.{{sfn|Burt|1988|p=298}} {{sfn|Tennyson|2013|p=478}} The crash site soon became a tourist attraction, with a report that "a dozen Canadian nurses. They had come up ... and waded through to it. What a sight they did look, skirts up round their waists wading through mud and slime up to their knees."{{sfn|Moody|Wakefield|2011|p=}}

[[File:HMS Agamemnon 12-pounder gun crew Salonika 1916 IWM Q 31977.jpg|thumb|ALT=B&W of sailors rushing to point AA gun|HMS Agamemnon 12-pounder gun crew reenacting shooting down the Zeppelin]]
⚫
The metal structure of the Zeppelin was dragged by Allied soldiers from the swamps to the [[White Tower of Thessaloniki]].{{sfn|Moody|Wakefield|2011|p=}} There it was reconstructed so that Allied engineers could study how the Germans built airships.{{cn|date=May 2020}}
[[File:HMS Agamemnon searchlight crew Salonika 1916 IWM Q 31980.jpg|thumb|ALT=B&W of sailors rushing to point AA gun|HMS Agamemnon searchlight crew reenacting spotting the Zeppelin]]
==Salvage==
⚫
The metal structure of the Zeppelin was dragged by Allied soldiers from the swamps of the Varder to the [[White Tower of Thessaloniki]]. There it was reconstructed so that Allied engineers could study how the Germans built airships. {{sfn|Moody|Wakefield|2011|p=}}


==Specifications (LZ55 / P-class zeppelin)==
==Specifications (LZ55 / P-class zeppelin)==
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==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |ref=harv|last=Burt|first=R. A. | title = British Battleships, 1889-1904|year=1988| publisher = Naval Institute Press| isbn=9780870210617}} <small>- Total pages: 320 </small>
*{{cite book |ref=harv |last=Burt |first=R. A. | title = British Battleships, 1889-1904|year=1988| publisher = Naval Institute Press| isbn=9780870210617}}
*{{cite book |ref=harv|last=Buxton|first=Ian | title = Big Gun Monitors|year=2008| publisher = Pen and Sword| isbn= 9781783469116|url=https://books.google.ca/books?id=ymGCAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT202&dq=Agamemnon+zeppelin+1916&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjd_7mbzJrpAhUBvJ4KHeQkBNUQ6AEINjAC#v=onepage&q=Agamemnon%20zeppelin%201916&f=false|access-date=4 May 2020}} <small>- Total pages: 224 </small>
*{{cite book |ref=harv |last=Buxton |first=Ian | title = Big Gun Monitors |year=2008| publisher = Pen and Sword| isbn= 9781783469116 |url=https://books.google.ca/books?id=ymGCAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT202&dq=Agamemnon+zeppelin+1916&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjd_7mbzJrpAhUBvJ4KHeQkBNUQ6AEINjAC#v=onepage&q=Agamemnon%20zeppelin%201916&f=false|access-date=4 May 2020}}
*{{cite book |ref=harv|last=Moody|first=Simon |last2=Wakefield|first2=Alan | title = Under the Devil's Eye: The British Military Experience in Macedonia, 1915–18|year=2011| publisher = Casemate Publisher| isbn= 9781844682669|url=https://books.google.ca/books?id=G7bNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT242&lpg=PT242&dq=White+Tower+LZ+85+reconstructed&source=bl&ots=-ElEOPBMe8&sig=ACfU3U1q3kHdOk3fDh98WXSKlHlPMZtCwA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi498S7-ZrpAhXRrZ4KHQHqAVUQ6AEwA3oECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=White%20Tower%20LZ%2085%20reconstructed&f=false| access-date=4 May 2020}} <small>- Total pages: 272</small>
*{{cite book |ref=harv|last=Moody|first=Simon |last2=Wakefield|first2=Alan | title = Under the Devil's Eye: The British Military Experience in Macedonia, 1915–18|year=2011| publisher = Casemate Publisher| isbn= 9781844682669|url=https://books.google.ca/books?id=G7bNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT242&lpg=PT242&dq=White+Tower+LZ+85+reconstructed&source=bl&ots=-ElEOPBMe8&sig=ACfU3U1q3kHdOk3fDh98WXSKlHlPMZtCwA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi498S7-ZrpAhXRrZ4KHQHqAVUQ6AEwA3oECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=White%20Tower%20LZ%2085%20reconstructed&f=false| access-date=4 May 2020}}
*{{cite book |ref=harv|last=Tennyson|first=Brian Douglas | title = The Canadian Experience of the Great War: A Guide to Memoirs|year=2013| publisher = Scarecrow Press| isbn= 9780810886803}} <small>- Total pages: 594 </small>
*{{cite book |ref=harv|last=Tennyson|first=Brian Douglas | title = The Canadian Experience of the Great War: A Guide to Memoirs |year=2013| publisher = Scarecrow Press| isbn= 9780810886803}}

⚫
*{{cite web |ref=harv|last=Varges|first=Ariel |date=1916|url = https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205297559|title =Searchlight operators on board the battleship HMS AGAMEMNON recreating the moment they illuminated Zeppelin LZ. 85|publisher = [[Imperial War Museum]]| accessdate = May 4, 2020 }}


{{LZ Navbox}}
{{LZ Navbox}}

Revision as of 21:49, 25 May 2020

This article is about the Zeppelin LZ 55 (LZ85) that crashed 5 May 1916. For the Zeppelin that crashed on 20 October 1917, see Zeppelin LZ85.
LZ 55
Wreckage of LZ 55 on the marshes near mouth of the Varder River during the Salonika Campaign


Zeppelin LZ 55 (Army tactical number LZ 85) was a P class Zeppeling of the Imperial German Army in World War I. It was shot down by the old British pre-dreadnough battleship HMS Agamemnon in 1916 during Salonika campaign

Reconstructed wreckage of LZ 55, next to the White Tower

History

Searchlight crew on HMS Agamemnonre-enacting spotting the Zeppelin[1]

On 5 May 1916 LZ55 made another attack on Thessaloniki (Salonika) harbour. Part way through the attack it was caught in spotlights.[2] and all the ships in the area opened fire with their anti-aircraft guns.[3] LZ55 continued its attack but HMS Agamemnon 12-pounder anti-aircraft gun hit LZ 55; breaking it in half according to one of the crew. The airship crashed in the swamps at the mouth of the Vardar River west of Thessaloniki and its crew were captured.[4] [5] The crash site soon became a tourist attraction, with a report that "a dozen Canadian nurses. They had come up ... and waded through to it. What a sight they did look, skirts up round their waists wading through mud and slime up to their knees."[2]

The metal structure of the Zeppelin was dragged by Allied soldiers from the swamps to the White Tower of Thessaloniki.[2] There it was reconstructed so that Allied engineers could study how the Germans built airships.[citation needed]

Specifications (LZ55 / P-class zeppelin)

Data from Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893-1940[6]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 18
  • Capacity: 16,200 kg (35,715 lb) typical disposable load
  • Length: 163.5 m (536 ft 5 in)
  • Diameter: 18.7 m (61 ft 4 in) maximum
  • Fineness ratio: 8.68
  • Volume: 31,900 m3 (1,130,000 cu ft) in 15 gas cells
  • Empty weight: 20,800 kg (45,856 lb)
  • Fuel capacity: 4,800 kg (10,582 lb) maximum
  • Useful lift: 37,000 kg (82,000 lb) typically
  • Gas loading: 1.16 kg/m3 (0.072 lb/cu ft)
  • Powerplant: 4 × Maybach HS Lu 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engines, 180 kW (240 hp) each
(initially with 4x 157 kW (210 hp) Maybach C-X engines)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propellers

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 96 km/h (60 mph, 52 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 90 km/h (56 mph, 49 kn)
  • Range: 4,300 km (2,700 mi, 2,300 nmi) at 90 km/h (56 mph; 49 kn)
  • Service ceiling: 2,800 m (9,200 ft) static

Armament
machine guns in hull-top positions and gondolas with provision for bombs

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:LZ 55 / LZ 85.

References

  1. ^ "Q 31980". photographer Ariel Varges. Imperial War Museum. 1916. Retrieved May 4, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. ^ a b c Moody & Wakefield 2011.
  3. ^ Buxton 2008.
  4. ^ Burt 1988, p. 298.
  5. ^ Tennyson 2013, p. 478.
  6. ^ Brooks, Peter W. (1992). Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893-1940. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 91–95. ISBN 1560982284.

Bibliography


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