The endurance of such a ship at a cruising speed of 45 miles per
hour will be in the neighbourhood of three weeks, with a maximum
speed of 70 to 80 miles per hour, and a "ceiling" of some 30,000
feet can be reached. This will give a range of over 20,000
miles, or very nearly a complete circuit of the globe.
For commercial purposes the possibilities of such a craft are
enormous, and the uses to which it could be put are manifestly of
great importance. Urgent mails and passengers could be
transported from England to America in under half the time at
present taken by the steamship routes, and any city in the world
could be reached from London in a fortnight.
In the event of war in the future, which may be waged with a
nation situated at a greater distance from this country than was
Germany, aircraft Of long endurance will be necessary both for
scouting in conjunction with our fleets and convoy duties. The
British Empire is widely scattered, and large tracts of ocean lie
between the various colonies, all of which will require
protection for the safe-guarding of our merchant shipping. The
provision of a force of these large airships will greatly add to
the security of our out-lying dominions.
We have now reached a point where it is incumbent on us to face
certain difficulties which beset the airship of large dimensions,
and which are always magnified by its detractors.
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