supplies and food to these islands, and by
torpedoing our transports and ships carrying guns and munitions of war.
They were, perhaps, nearer to success than we thought at the time, but
we were saved by the defeat of the submarine. In the victory won over
the underseas craft the airship certainly played a prominent part and
we, who never suffered the pinch of hunger, should gratefully remember
those who never lost heart, but in spite of all difficulties and
discouragement, designed, built, maintained and flew our fleet of
airships.

CHAPTER IX

THE FUTURE OF AIRSHIPS

With the signing of the Armistice on November 11th, 1918, the airship's
work in the war was practically completed and peace reigned on the
stations which for so many months had been centres of feverish
activity. The enemy submarines were withdrawn from our shipping routes
and merchant ships could traverse the sea in safety except for the
occasional danger of drifting mines. "What is to be the future of the
airship?" is the question which is agitating the minds of innumerable
people at the present moment.

During the war we have built the largest fleet of airships in the
world, in non-rigids we have reached a stage in design which is
unsurpassed by any country, and in rigid airships we are second only to
the Germans, who have declared that, with the signing of the peace
terms, their aircraft industry will be destroyed. Such is our position
at the present moment, a position almost incredible if we look back to
the closing days of the year 1914. Are we now to allow ourselves to
drift gradually back to our old policy of supineness and negligence as
existed before the war? Surely such a thought is inconceivable; as we
have organized our airship production for the purposes of war, so shall
we have to redouble our efforts for its development in peace, if we
intend to maintain our supremacy in the air.

Unless all war is from henceforth to cease, a most improbable
supposition when the violence of human nature is considered, aircraft
will be in the future almost the most important arm. Owing to its
speed, there will not be that period of waiting for the concentration
and marching of the armies of the past, but the nation resolved on war
will be able to strike its blow, and that a very powerful and terrible
one, within a few hours of the rupture of negotiations. Every nation
to be prepared to counter such a blow must be possessed of adequate
resource