Steampunk - Blimp - Launching Nulli Secundus II 1908

Colorized photo from 1908... more

by Mike Savad

Title

Steampunk - Blimp - Launching Nulli Secundus II 1908

Artist

Mike Savad

Medium

Photograph - Colorized Photo

Description

Colorized photo from 1908
Original title: British military dirigible
Location: England

Here we watch one of the test flights of the British army dirigible No.2, known as the Nulli Secundus II. The original version of this airship was made from 200,000 skins of intestines from cows. 15 layers thick, then waterproofed. It flew from Farnborough to London in 1907. It didn't last long, and eventually failed.

This balloon replaced that one. They used waterproofed silk instead of the other intestine. The cinch belts around the balloon came from the other ship.

It flew in August of 1908 as a semi rigid air ship.

However each attempt at flight had issues. In the first flight, ropes caught the propellers and bent them. The next, the belts slipped off the propellers. And the final, the fuel pipe burst. It's not known which of the 3 incidents is taking place here, but it would explain the people running over there. And why the horses look panicked horses in the background. This project was scrapped a month later. The engine later used in an airplane.

This is just one of the many attempts they made making these kinds of blimps.

Uploaded

October 16th, 2015