Time Period: Interwar Period
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Type: Airship
Manufacturer: Vickers Limited
His Majesty's Airship R100 Overview
The R100 was part of a British government-funded project known as the Imperial Airship Scheme, which aimed to create airships capable of linking the far-flung corners of the British Empire. The scheme involved building two airships: the R100, built by a private company, and the R101, constructed by the government.
Designed by Barnes Wallis 🔗, who later became famous for inventing the “bouncing bomb,” and a team that included novelist Nevil Shute Norway, the R100 was built by the Airship Guarantee Company, a subsidiary of Vickers.
The R100 featured a traditional rigid structure with a duralumin frame covered by fabric and was filled with hydrogen gas for lift. It was 709 feet (216 meters) long, with a diameter of 133 feet (40.5 meters), making it one of the largest airships of its time.
Operational History
- The R100 made its maiden flight on December 16, 1929. It underwent a series of test flights and modifications before its most famous journey: a transatlantic flight to Canada in 1930.
- In July 1930, the R100 embarked on a successful voyage to Canada, flying from Cardington, England, to Saint-Hubert, near Montreal, Quebec. The airship covered a distance of about 3,300 miles (5,300 kilometers) in approximately 78 hours, demonstrating the feasibility of intercontinental airship travel.
- The return flight to the UK took just over 57 hours, showcasing the potential speed and efficiency of airships for long-distance travel.
End of Service and Legacy
Despite the success of the R100’s transatlantic journey, the British airship program faced a severe setback with the tragic crash of the R101 in October 1930, which killed 48 people, including high-ranking officials.
The crash of the R101 led to the abandonment of the British airship program. Although the R100 was still in good condition, it was grounded and later scrapped in 1931 as public and governmental confidence in airships waned.
The R100 is remembered as a remarkable engineering achievement that demonstrated the potential of rigid airships for long-distance travel. However, the disaster of the R101 overshadowed its success, contributing to the decline of the airship era.
R100 Airship Specifications
- Crew: 37
- Passenger Capacity: 100
- Length: 719 feet 9.5 inches (219 meters)
- Diameter: 133 feet 4 inches (41 meters)
- Volume: 5,156,000 cubic feet (146,000 cubic meters)
- Empty Weight: 236,365 pounds (107,215 kilograms)
- Useful Lift: 350,607 pounds (159,400 kilograms)
- Engines: 6 Rolls-Royce Condor IIIB 12-cylinder engines, each producing 650 horsepower (485 kW)
R100 Airship Performance
- Maximum Speed: 81.5 mph (131 km/h, 70.8 knots)
- Range: 4,095 miles (6,590 kilometers, 3,558 nautical miles) with a payload of 3 tons
- Endurance: 64 hours
