Zeppelin LZ 86

LZ 86 / L 39
The wreckage of Imperial German Navy Zeppelin LZ 86 (L 39) after being shot down on March 17 1917
Role	R-class reconnaissance-bomber rigid airship
National origin	German Empire
Manufacturer	Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
Designer	Ludwig Dürr
First flight	11 December 1916
Retired	Decommissioned in September 1918.
Primary user	Imperial German Army
Number built	1

L 39's crew with Robert Koch in the middle

The Imperial German Navy Zeppelin LZ 86 (L-39) was a R-class World War I zeppelin. ^[1]

Operational history

Two reconnaissance missions around the North Sea; one attack on England dropping 300 kg bombs.

Destruction

Returning to Imperial German airspace the airship was destroyed by French flak near Compiègne on 17 March 1917. ^[2]

Specifications (LZ 80 / Type R zeppelin)

Data from Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893–1940 ^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: 17-19
• Capacity: 32,400 kg (71,430 lb) typical disposable load
• Length: 198 m (649 ft 7 in)
• Diameter: 23.9 m (78 ft 5 in) maximum
• Fineness ratio: 8.24
• Volume: 55,200 m³ (1,950,000 cu ft) in 19 gas cells
• Empty weight: 31,400 kg (69,225 lb)
• Gross weight: 32,908 kg (72,550 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 6,250 kg (13,779 lb)
• Useful lift: 63,800 kg (140,700 lb)
• Powerplant: 5 × Maybach HS Lu 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engines, 180 kW (240 hp) each
• Propellers: 4-bladed Lorenzen fixed-pitch propellers

Performance

• Maximum speed: 103 km/h (64 mph, 56 kn)
• Cruise speed: 81 km/h (50 mph, 44 kn)
• Range: 7,400 km (4,600 mi, 4,000 nmi) at 81 km/h (50 mph; 44 kn)
• Service ceiling: 3,900 m (12,800 ft) static
• Rate of climb: 10 m/s (2,000 ft/min) maximum permitted (r-class)

Armament

• Guns: machine-guns in hull-top positions and gondolas
• Bombs: up to 60 bombs to a total of 5,000 kg (11,023 lb)

See also

• List of Zeppelins

Bibliography

Notes

1. Brooks 1992, pp. 95–99.
2. Robinson 1971, p. 389.

References

• Brooks, Peter W. (1992). Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893–1940 . Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 95–99. ISBN   9781560982289.
• Robinson, Douglas Hill (1971). The Zeppelin in Combat: A History of the German Naval Airship Division, 1912-1918. Foulis. ISBN   9780854291304.- Total pages: 417