Cypripedium

The Imperial German Navy Zeppelin LZ 53 (L 17) was a P-class World War I zeppelin.

The Imperial German Navy first launched it on 20 October 1915 and throughout its career took part in 27 reconnaissance missions; nine attacks on England dropping 10,724 kg (23,642 lb) bombs.

Destroyed in its hangar at Tondern on 28 December 1916 when LZ 69 (L 24) caught fire.^{[1] [2]}

Data from ,^[3] Giants in the Sky: A History of the Rigid Airship^[4]

General characteristics

• Crew: 18-19 (Executive Officer, Commander, Navigator, Sailmaker (responsible for gasbags), Chief Engineer, 2 altitude coxswains, 2 steering coxswains, 8 engineers)
• 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)
• 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)
• Powerplant: 4 × Maybach C-X 6-cylinder water-cooled inline piston engine, 160 kW (210 hp) each
• Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propellers

Performance

• Maximum speed: 96.1 km/h (59.7 mph, 51.9 kn)
• Cruise speed: 90 km/h (56 mph, 49 kn)
• Range: 4,300 km (2,700 mi, 2,300 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 2,800 m (9,200 ft) static

Armament

• Guns: 7 or 8 machine guns: naval airships generally using the water-cooled MG 08, army ships the air-cooled Parabellum MG 14
• Bombs: 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) bombs (a greater load could be carried with reduced fuel load)

• List of Zeppelins

Notes

References

• Robinson, Douglas Hill (1973). Giants in the Sky: A History of the Rigid Airship. University of Washington Press. ISBN 9780295952499.
• Topping, Alanson Dale (2001). When Giants Roamed the Sky: Karl Arnstein and the Rise of Airships from Zeppelin to Goodyear. University of Akron Press. ISBN 9781884836695. - Total pages: 276

• "Super Zeppelins". Flight. VIII (No.35) (401): 739–741. 31 August 1916.