p was through fortuitous circumstances
exposed to certain disadvantageous conditions which rendered her
incapable of further use.

R 33 CLASS

September 24th, 1916, is one of the most important days in the history
of rigid airship design in this country; on this date the German
Zeppelin airship L 33 was damaged by gunfire over London, and being hit
in the after gasbags attempted to return to Germany. Owing to lack of
buoyancy she was forced to land at Little Wigborough, in Essex, where
the crew, having set fire to the ship, gave themselves up. Although
practically the entire fabric of the ship was destroyed, the hull
structure most fortunately remained to all intents and purposes intact,
and was of inestimable value to the design staff of the Admiralty, who
measured up the whole ship and made working drawings of every part
available.

During this year other German rigid airships had been brought down,
namely L 15, which was destroyed at the mouth of the Thames in April,
but which was of an old type, and from which little useful information
was obtained; and also the Army airship L.Z. 85, which was destroyed at
Salonica in the month of May. A Schutte-Lanz airship was also brought
down at Cuffley, on September 2nd, and afforded certain valuable
details.

All these ships were, however, becoming out of date; but L 33 was of
the latest design, familiarly called the super-Zeppelin, and had only
been completed about six weeks before she encountered disaster.

In view of the fact that the rigid airships building in this country at
this date, with the exception of the wooden Schutte-Lanz ships were all
based on pre-war designs of Zeppelin airships, it can be readily
understood that this latest capture revolutionized all previous ideas,
and to a greater extent than might be imagined, owing to the immense
advance, both in design and construction, which had taken place in
Germany since 1914.

All possible information having been obtained, both from the wreck of
the airship itself and from interrogation of the captured crew,
approval was obtained, in November of the same year, for two ships of
the L 33 design to be built; and in January, 1917, this number was
increased to five.

It was intended originally that these ships should be an exact
facsimile of L 33; but owing to the length of time occupied in
construction later information was obtained before they were completed,
both from ships of a more modern design, whic