And now the backstory:
The U.S. Navy had never forgotten being caught flat-footed by W.W. I, especially when it came to airships which had proven their worth for sub-spotting and reconnaissance. While war surplus lighter-than-air craft met most of their training needs in the 1920s, as the decade drew to a close, the Navy was in dire need of new training airships.
A competition was held and the winner was a design by Prof. D. Ridge-Ibble. The new airship had a revolutionary frame of geoducksic construction made from the new wondermaterial, quackinium which was incredibly light, yet strong and very water-resistant. The Navy set about building a fleet of new training airships at the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia.
The first of the new fleet, No. 4 pictured here, was christened by Zeppo Marx on July 4th, 1929. By the time FDR took office in 1933, these training airships were a common sight along the coasts of the U.S. and at airshows and county fairs.
The Navy had hoped to phase out the training airships but W.W. II put these plans on hold and the training airships offered their last valuable service on anti-sub patrols until replaced by blimps in 1943.
Sadly, nothing remains of these slender, graceful airships save this desk model which was found in an estate sale of Prof. D. Ridge-Ibble's property after his passing in 1970. Still, to those who flew them, they will never be forgotten.
Brian da Basher
