Groß-Basenach
Encyclopedia
Gross-Basenach or Groß-Basenach is the designation for a series of five so-called M-class German military semi-rigid airship
s constructed by the well-known balloonist Nikolaus Basenach and Major Hans Georg Friedrich Groß
(1860–1924) of the Royal Prussian Airship Battalion Nr 2 between 1907 and 1914.
They produced one experimental and four so-called military Groß-Basenach types, rebuilding each one several times. In all they were not as successful as Major Groß wished. He was one of the sharpest critics of the Zeppelin
airship system. However the war and the ever increasing demands on airship performance left his own system in oblivion. Even his direct competitors, Parseval
and the rigid airship
maker Schütte-Lanz
, did not fare differently after the war's end.
GmbH.
The first flight took place at 1907-05-07. The power plant was a 24-25 horsepower
(HP) Gaggenau automobile engine and allowed a top speed of 29 kilometres per hour (18 mph).
Later the airship was rebuilt, including among other things the empennage.
On 21 September 1908 it set a flight endurance record of over 13 hours. In 1913 the hull was lengthened to 71.8 metres. In its lengthened state it first flew on 26 March 1913. The keel was changed three times and the volume increased to 5600 m³. Nevertheless the maximum speed remained unchanged at 47 kilometres per hour (29.2 mph).
M III was the fastest airship of its time.
M IV achieved a top speed of 82 kilometres per hour (51 mph). From 28 December 1914 until 3 November 1915 it performed 24 patrols over the Baltic Sea
. On 1915-09-10 it attacked a U-Boat
with 100-kilogram bombs.
Semi-rigid airship
Semi-rigid airships are airships with a partial framework. These often consist of a rigid, or occasionally, flexible, keel frame along the long axis under the aerodynamic hull envelope. The partial framework can also be located inside the hull...
s constructed by the well-known balloonist Nikolaus Basenach and Major Hans Georg Friedrich Groß
Hans Georg Friedrich Groß
Hans Georg Friedrich Groß, , was a German balloonist and airship constructor.- Balloons :In the 1890s the Verein zur Förderung der Luftschifffahrt conducted scientific balloon ascents to study the upper atmosphere on the initiative of Richard Assmann...
(1860–1924) of the Royal Prussian Airship Battalion Nr 2 between 1907 and 1914.
They produced one experimental and four so-called military Groß-Basenach types, rebuilding each one several times. In all they were not as successful as Major Groß wished. He was one of the sharpest critics of the Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
airship system. However the war and the ever increasing demands on airship performance left his own system in oblivion. Even his direct competitors, Parseval
Parseval airships
The Parsevals were 22 airships built between 1909 and 1919 by the Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft following the design of August von Parseval. In 1920s and 1930s, three more airships were built following the Parseval-Naatz design....
and the rigid airship
Rigid airship
A rigid airship is a type of airship in which the envelope retained its shape by the use of an internal structural framework rather than by being forced into shape by the pressure of the lifting gas within the envelope as used in blimps and semi-rigid airships.Rigid airships were produced and...
maker Schütte-Lanz
Schütte-Lanz
Schütte-Lanz is the name of a series of rigid airships designed and built by the Luftschiffbau Schütte-Lanz company from 1909 until the last LS22 was delivered in 1917. One research and four passenger airships were planned for post-war use, but were never built...
, did not fare differently after the war's end.
Versuchsluftschiff
The Versuchluftschiff (experimental airship) had a volume of 1,800 cubic metres and had a keel directly under the balloon envelope. It was mostly constructed by the firm Siemens-SchuckertSiemens-Schuckert
Siemens-Schuckert was a German electrical engineering company headquartered in Berlin, Erlangen and Nuremberg that was incorporated into the Siemens AG in 1966....
GmbH.
The first flight took place at 1907-05-07. The power plant was a 24-25 horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
(HP) Gaggenau automobile engine and allowed a top speed of 29 kilometres per hour (18 mph).
Later the airship was rebuilt, including among other things the empennage.
M I
- 5,000 m³ volume
- Length 65.5 metres, Diameter 11.1 metre
- built by the Luftschiffer-Bataillon in Berlin Tegel
- First flight: 30 June 1908
- Propulsion: two KörtingKörting HannoverKörting Hannover AG is a long-standing industrial engineering company in Hanover.At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, the company played a leading role in the development of injector pumps in Germany and Europe.Körting still produces pump and pump-based vacuum technology, but...
-engines each 75 HPHorsepowerHorsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
On 21 September 1908 it set a flight endurance record of over 13 hours. In 1913 the hull was lengthened to 71.8 metres. In its lengthened state it first flew on 26 March 1913. The keel was changed three times and the volume increased to 5600 m³. Nevertheless the maximum speed remained unchanged at 47 kilometres per hour (29.2 mph).
M III
M III was built in 1909 and first flew on 31 December 1909- Volume: 7,800 m³
- Länge: 81.5 metres
- enlarged in 1912 to 9,000 m³ and a length of 83.3 metre
- Propulsion: two Körting-engines each 75 HPHorsepowerHorsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
- Maximum speed: 59 kilometres per hour (36.7 mph); after rebuild: 68 kilometres per hour (42.3 mph)
M III was the fastest airship of its time.
M IV
- 19,000 cubic metres volume
- fitted with a ballonetBallonetA Ballonet is a air-filled flexible container that is located inside the envelope of a non-rigid or semi-rigid airship. Such an airship can have one or more ballonets, commonly one fore and one aft...
to regulate the pressure - 1913 Rebuilt and equipped with 100-kilogram bombs
- 1914 enlarged
- Propulsion: three MaybachMaybachMaybach-Motorenbau GmbH is a German luxury car manufacturer. It was founded in 1909 by Wilhelm Maybach and his son. The company was originally a subsidiary of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH and was itself known as Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH until 1912.Today, the ultra-luxury car brand is owned by...
-engines with a total of 480 hp
M IV achieved a top speed of 82 kilometres per hour (51 mph). From 28 December 1914 until 3 November 1915 it performed 24 patrols over the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. On 1915-09-10 it attacked a U-Boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
with 100-kilogram bombs.
Further reading
- Schmitt, G. und Schwipps, W., Pioniere der frühen Luftfahrt,Gondrom Verlag, Blindlach 1995, ISBN 3-8112-1189-7 (German)
- Basenach, N., Die drei Systeme in: Bröckelmann (Hrsg.), Wir Luftschiffer, Ullstein, Berlin und Wien 1909, pages 240–268. (German)