The ZRCV was a large dirigible aircraft carrier proposed by the Lighter-than-Air Bureau of the

United States Department of the Navy The United States Department of the Navy (DON) is one of the three military departments within the United States Department of Defense. It was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, at the urging of Secretary of War James McHenr ...

and the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation. It would have been a airship designed to carry nine Douglas-Northrop BT–1 dive bombers. Building the ZRCV became impossible when the Roosevelt administration, which wanted greater investment in long-range patrol aircraft, placed an upper limit of in length for any new rigid airships.

Origin of name

Previous Navy airships had used the designation "ZR" (Zeppelin Rigid), which was combined with the designation for aircraft carriers, "CV" (Carrier aViation).

Design

Like the ''Akron''-class airships that preceded it, the ZRCV was designed as an aerial aircraft carrier. With a complement of nine BT–1 dive bombers, the ship would have required a strong keel and design more in line with conventional Zeppelins than the ''Akron''-class airships. The ship was designed at with a diameter of . With a gas volume of , the ZRCV would have had a gross lift weight of with a dead weight of . The design called for eight 750 hp engines arranged in four pairs, each of which would drive a single four-bladed propeller. Like the ''Akron''-class airships, a complement of 60 sailors were expected to fly the ship. Fully laden with nine bombers weighing each, the ZRCV was expected to have an endurance of 175 hours at and an ultimate range of .

ZRCCN and ZRCVN

In the early 1970s, a Naval Research Lab report proposed reviving the Navy's lighter-than-air program with an updated, nuclear-powered version of the ZRCV. Dubbed the ZRCCN, the proposed airship would be substantially larger than the ZRCV with a length of and diameter of . With a gas volume of , the ZRCCN would have a gross lift of . The report envision equipping the airship with an 18,000 kW nuclear reactor to power propulsion system to provide practically unlimited range with a cruising speed of at an altitude of and a cargo of up to . Such an airship could be used as a troop transport or for large loads of matériel. The main limitation on operations would be connected to radiation levels and exposure in the passenger area. The report also suggested developing a strategic bombing platform using two ZRCCNs connected by a wing section and helicopter-type rotors with separation between the airship hulls. This configuration, dubbed ZRCVN, would require a 63,000 kW reactor. This ship could carry 75–100 aircraft, making use of hangar space in the wing.

References

Sources

* *{{cite book , last1=Smith , first1=Richard K. , title=The Airships Akron & Macon: Flying Aircraft carriers of the United States Navy , date=1965 , publisher=United States Naval Institute Press , location=Annapolis, Maryland , isbn=978-0-87021-065-5

External links

Goodyear and the ZRCV Airship
Airborne aircraft carriers Aircraft carriers of the United States Navy Airships of the United States Navy