O-1 (airship)

O-1
Role	Semi-rigid Airship
Manufacturer	SCDA
First flight	27 March 1919 at Ciampino, Italy
Introduction	First US flight 16 September 1919
Retired	Late 1921 or early 1922
Primary user	United States Navy
Number built	1

The SCDA O-1 was an Italian semi-rigid airship, the only true semi-rigid airship to serve with the United States Navy.

Operational service

The O-1 was ordered from Stabilimento Costruzioni Dirigibili ed Aerostati (SCDA) by the United States Navy. Its first flight was made at Ciampino, Italy, on 27 March 1919. Following tests, it was sent from Genoa, Italy, leaving on 24 May 1919. It was sent to Akron for study and was then erected at the airship base at Cape May, New Jersey. The O-1 first flew in the USA on 16 September 1919. While operating from Cape May, the O-1 lost all power on a landing approach and was blown to near Pennsville, New Jersey where the crew managed to land it. The O-1 was eventually returned to service and while on temporary duty at Hampton Roads the O-1 was used to launch gliders designed to be anti-aircraft targets. The date the O-1 was scrapped is not known, but was probably in the winter of 1921–22.

Operators

United States

• United States Navy

Specifications O-1

• Crew: 3
• Volume: 127,000 cu ft
• Length: 177.8 ft)
• Diameter: 35.4 ft
• Gross lift: 9,125 lbs
• Empty weight: 5,850 lbs
• Useful lift: 3,290 lbs
• Keel: Articulated steel
• Powerplant: Two, Colombo, 125 hp

References

• Shock, James R., "U.S. Navy Airships 1915–1962, Edgewater, Florida, Atlantis Productions, 2001, ISBN 0-9639743-8-6