As the name
"Coastal" or "Coast Patrol" implies, this ship was intended to
carry out extended sea patrols.
To obtain these main requirements the capacity of the envelope
for this type was fixed at 170,000 cubic feet, as compared with
the 60,000 cubic feet and, later, the 70,000 cubic feet envelopes
adopted for the S.S. ships. Greater speed was aimed at by
fitting two engines of 150 horse-power each, and it was hoped
that the chances of loss owing to engine failure would be
considerably minimized.
The Astra-Torres type of envelope, with its system of internal
rigging, was selected for this class of airship; in the original
ship the envelope us d was that manufactured by the French
Astra-Torres Company, and to which it had been intended to rig a
small enclosed car. The ship in question was to be known as No.
10. This plan was, however, departed from, and the car was
subsequently rigged to the envelope of the Eta, and a special car
was designed and constructed for the original Coastal. Coastal
airship No. 1 was commissioned towards the end of 1915 and was
retained solely for experimental and training purposes.
Approximately thirty of these airships were constructed during
the year 1916, and were allocated to the various stations for
patrol duties.
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