C.23 (Coastal Class)

History of C. 23 (Coastal Class)

C. 23 Littoral-class airships served in the Royal Navy during the First World War (1914-1918). The aircraft was built in 1916 and entered service in 1917 in composite tubular form. It was defined as a "non-rigid" airship, saying it had no rigid substructure to maintain the general shape of its hull (unlike the more familiar German zeppelins used).

The design instead uses high-pressure gas inside the housing to fill the mold. Fins were added to the sides of the hull and under the stern, and power came from two engines - a 150 hp Sunbeam branded unit and a 220 hp Renault. One engine is mounted to the front of the suspended nacelle and the other to the rear to provide a complete "pull/push" configuration. The pilot/observation/filming crew lived in the pod, which contained five open-air cockpits. The pilot sits in the center position with the trainable Lewis machine gun in the rear.

The nacelle is a simple combination of two Avro 504 fuselage assemblies, with engines mounted at both ends. The structure also carries 4 x 112lb bombs or 2 x 230lb bombs to bomb along its base. Ocean depth charges can also be replaced. To accompany the placement of the aft Lewis guns, there was another aft-mounted Lewis gun location, accessible via a rope ladder in the nacelle.

When not flying, the pod is also equipped with a landing skid. Overall, the C. 23 had a barrel length of 200 feet.

During World War I, airships provided all parties with a high-quality, inexpensive reconnaissance tool. The aircraft can cover great distances and high altitudes, often beyond the reach of earlier interceptors and ground fire. Because these vehicles can travel on land or water with equal ease, their tactical value doubles, making them equally valuable to the Army and Navy. As the name suggests, coastal airships are primarily used for maritime patrols, which for the Royal Navy meant searching, pursuing and striking German U-boats that threatened the merchant fleet. Without logistical and material support, the island nation could starve to death and withdraw from the war.

Therefore, the C.23 was deployed for its longevity in anti-submarine missions.

The C.23 had a relatively short service life until 1 May 1917, when its Lewis machine gunner accidentally hit the hull, causing the aircraft to collapse. The ship was officially decommissioned on May 11, 1917. There were 27 ships in the Coast class, many of which were scrapped after hostilities ceased in 1919.

In total, the Royal Navy retained approximately 213 airships in its wartime inventory.

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