The Pageland Journal

Several Giant Airships
To Be Built for Navy

Two Will Have Six Million Cubic Feet Air Capacity: Able to Carry Much Equipment

Washington, Feb. 25.--(AP)--Navy plans for great dreadnaughts of the air, bristling with guns to ward off airplane attacks, underlie action of the House naval committee in providing for construction of two 6,000,000 cubic feet capacity airships with its $100,000,000 naval expansion program of the House. A glimpse of new monsters that have been designed, given the committee by Rear Admiral W. M. Moffat, navy air chief, shows seven of the new 50 calibre machine guns, eighteen 30 calibre and one of the post-war 1 pounder automatics, together with 9,700 rounds of ammunition for these weapons as a part of the regular military load of each ship.

Instead of armor, the air dreadnaughts will rely on the non-inflammability of helium gas for protection. Already, Moffat said, introduction of helium had compelled revision of aviation tactics for use against helium inflated ships owing to the fact that machine gun fire or small shells cannot set the gas afire and thus send a great ship down in flames.

Plans for a 6,500,000 cubic footer drawn by an American commercial concern, the navy officer said, had been calculated to show the value of such a ship as an aerial troops transport. They would have a capacity for 750 men with their individual fighting equipment, he explained, and could take that force 500 miles at a speed of 85 miles an hour and still retain a 50 percent fuel reserve.