View source for List of airships of the United States Navy

{{United States Navy ship types}}
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'''List of airships of the United States Navy''' identifies the [[airships]] of the [[United States Navy]] by type, identification, and class.

==[[Rigid airship]]s==
[[File:Usn-airships.jpg|thumb|right|In the background, ZR-3, in front of it, (l to r) J-3 or 4, K-1, ZMC-2, in front of them, "Caquot" observation balloon, and in foreground free balloons used for training. [[US Navy]] airships and balloons, 1931]]

*[[ZMC-2]], a metalclad-airship built by the Aircraft Development Corp - 1929-41 (scrapped)
*[[USS Shenandoah (ZR-1)|(ZR-1) ''Shenandoah'']] - 1923-25 (lost due to structural failure in line squalls)
*[[R38 (ZR-2)|(ZR-2) R38]] (see below) - 1921 (lost due to control inputs far in excess of structural strength)
*[[USS Los Angeles (ZR-3)|(ZR-3) ''Los Angeles'']] - Only [[Luftschiffbau Zeppelin|German-built]] US Navy rigid airship, served 1924-39 (decommissioned, 1932 and dismantled, 1940)
*[[USS Akron (ZRS-4)|(ZRS-4) ''Akron'']] - aircraft carrier 1931-33 (lost in a storm 1933)
*[[USS Macon (ZRS-5)|(ZRS-5) ''Macon'']] - aircraft carrier 1933-35 (lost due to structural failure)

ZR-2 was under contract from Britain where construction had been started on it as the ''R38.'' ZR-2 was contracted for in October 1919 while under construction, but crashed in 1921 before the US Navy could take delivery of it and did not officially receive its US designation, though it was painted in accordance of its planned Navy designation. On the fourth test flight of R-38 severe control inputs at low altitude and high speed cause the structural failure of the airship with the loss of the majority of the crew.<ref>Higham, Robin, "The British Rigid Airship, 1908-1931 A study in weapons policy," London, G.T. Foulis & Co Ltd. p. 222, 1961</ref> Sixteen of the men killed were USN training to fly the ship back to Cape May, NJ.<ref>Althoff, William F., "Sky Ships," New York, Crown Publications, p. 17, 1990, ISBN 0-517-56904-3</ref>

==[[Semi-rigid airship]]s==
*[[O-1 (airship)|O-1 Airship]], purchased from Italy

==Blimps (non-rigid airships)==
*[[DN-1 (airship)|A class blimp]] (experimental)
*[[B class blimp]] (patrol & training) 
*[[C class blimp]] (patrol)
*[[D class blimp]] (patrol)
*[[E class blimp]] (trainer)
*[[F class blimp]] (trainer)
*[[G class blimp]] (trainer & utility airship) (ZNN-G<ref>[http://www.history.navy.mil/download/lta-10.pdf Grossnick, Roy A., "Kite Balloons to Airships. . . the Navy's Lighter-than-air Experience,", Washington, Government Printing Office, 1986]</ref>) (ZGT)
**(ZPG-2, ZPG-2W)
*[[H class blimp]] (observation)
*[[J class blimp]] (trainer)
*[[K-1 (airship)|K-1 blimp]] (experimental)  (ZNP-K)
*[[K class blimp]] (anti-submarine patrol) (ZNP-K)
**(ZSG-2); (ZSG-3); (ZSG-4); (ZP5K)
*[[L class blimp]] (trainer) (ZNN-L)
*[[M class blimp]] (anti-submarine patrol) (ZNP-M)
*[[N class blimp]] (anti-submarine patrol & AEW) (ZPN-1. ZPG-1)
**ZPG-3W, largest blimp ever built
*[[TC class blimp]] - transferred from US Army
*[[MZ-3A]] (experimental) first Navy airship in 40 years

==See also==
*[[British Blimps operated by the USN]]
*[[French Blimps operated by the USN]]
*[[Piasecki PA-97]]
*[[US Army airships]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
* Allen, Hugh, "The Story of the Airship (non-rigid), Akron, Ohio, 1943
* Althoff, William F., "Sky Ships" New York, Orion Books, 1990, ISBN 0-517-56904-3
* Grossnick, Roy A., "Kite Balloons to Airships. . . the Navy's Lighter-than-air Experience,", Washington, Government Printing Office, 1986
* Higham, Robin, "The British Rigid Airship, 1908-1931 A study in weapons policy," London, G.T. Foulis & Co Ltd.
* Mowthorpe, Ces, "Battle Bags," Phoenix Mill, Far Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, England, Allan Sutton Publishing, 1995
* Shock, James R., "U.S. Navy Airships 1915-1962, Edgewater, Florida, Atlantis Productions, 2001, ISBN 0-9639743-8-6
* Vaeth, J. Gordon, "Blimps & U-Boats", Annapolis, Maryland, US Naval Institute Press, 1992, ISBN 1-55750-876-3
* Ventry, Lord & Kolesnik, Eugen M., "Airship Saga," Poole, Dorset, Britain, Blandford Press, 1982, ISBN 0713710012

{{US airships}}
{{USN non-rigid airships 1954}}
{{USN non-rigid airships 1947}}
{{USN non-rigid airships 1940}}
{{USN non-rigid airship classes}}
{{US Navy navbox}}

{{Wikipedia|List of airships of the United States Navy}}

[[Category:Lists of military aircraft|United States Navy Airships]]
[[Category:Lists of airships|United States Navy]]
[[Category:Airships of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:United States Navy lists|Airships of the United States Navy]]