Zeppelins over the Pacific!!

zoomar

I think it is about time for another zeppelin thread. It's been months and where have all the zeppelinophiles gone?

OK, imagine a world in which the experimental flying aircraft carriers USS Akron and Macon did not crash in the mid 1930's. Instead, let's pretend they survived to prove the utility of the giant rigid airship with on-board airplanes as a key element of the scouting fleet. Let's also pretend Congress passed the Navy/Goodyear sponsored legislation which would have granted airships monoopoly of overseas commercial air travel as US "flag" carriers creating a protected airship industry and trained reservists. Then, let's pretend the USN took some of the money spent on flying boats and fleet carriers, and built a series of about 10-15 "Akron/Macon" type scout airships over the period 1933-1937, and followed this with 4 ZRCV-type airships carrying 10 modern monoplane Douglas dive bombers each. So, let's also pretend that, by 1941, carrier admirals were less successful in getting large aircraft carriers built to suppliment Lexington and Saratoga, resulting in a USN with only 2 full-sized fleet carriers when WW2 breaks out, and none under construction.

What effect, if any would this have had on the Pacific War. How would/could airships have functioned in the Pacific war, presuming the Japanese carrier force was pretty much the same as it was in OTL.
 

Nicomacheus

Isn't there the problem of the extreme vulnerabilty of an airship to strafing? Kamikazee attacks would have been far more effective! Also, airship's don't accomodate "battle groups" as easily as sea carriers, which can be defended by existing crusiers, etc.

OTOH, airship groups may be more versatile and cheaper (less steel) than carriers, so the US could have had increased its Pacific presence much faster. Also, airships might find a use as bulk transports: after the introduction of jet aircraft, airships are too slow. While a prop is faster, it's not as fast as a jet and usually not as nice or with as long a range. The 1950s might have seen a golden age of US passenger Airship travel. Maybe JFK has a campaign blimp! After jets, airships might find a role in transport service, but it all depends on the how big the ship can be and how much it can carry. Could it ever be possible to store cargo-like holds on a economically sized airship?
 

zoomar

Nicomacheus said:
Isn't there the problem of the extreme vulnerabilty of an airship to strafing? Kamikazee attacks would have been far more effective! Also, airship's don't accomodate "battle groups" as easily as sea carriers, which can be defended by existing crusiers, etc. economically sized airship?
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Good points, although the vulnerability of a 300 m long unpressurized helium airship to strafing attacks by Japanese fighters armed with 7.9mm machine guns and 20mm cannon whose shells would often pass thru the ship without exploding can be overstated. Also, one might wonder if a ship moving a about 80kts in three dimensions might not be quite as easy to accurately bomb or strafe from a 200 kt Val as a surface ship. However, once the Japs adopted Kamakazi tactics, it would be good bye airship.

I guess I was wondering if regular long range airship reconnissance from Pearl Harbor and/or the Phillipines might have made the Pearl Harbor attack itself a less likely proposition. Since aisrhips could not form the core of battlegroups, it seems more likely they might serve in the periphery as scouts or as quick strike attackers. They would also be seen as fairly expendible, inspite of their high cost, because the loss of an airship with all hands about equals a sub chaser or small DD.
 

Nicomacheus

zoomar said:
I guess I was wondering if regular long range airship reconnissance from Pearl Harbor and/or the Phillipines might have made the Pearl Harbor attack itself a less likely proposition. Since aisrhips could not form the core of battlegroups, it seems more likely they might serve in the periphery as scouts or as quick strike attackers. They would also be seen as fairly expendible, inspite of their high cost, because the loss of an airship with all hands about equals a sub chaser or small DD.
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Hmm, I guess I'd been think about the flying bases a la Sky Captian and the World of Tomorrow. In this case, Airships might be used as reconiassaince and forward radar bases. The Battle of Midway might have gone differently (perhaps a victory by intention rather than luck) if US air forces had airships operating as the 1940s equivalent of AWACS. One might go so far as a U2- like reconaissaince platform, but an airship is decidedly...unstealthy. Unless you could make it look like random cloud.:rolleyes:

If Airships do lead to the attack on Pearl harbor being recognized, what happens? Does the USN steam out of Pearl to confront (or at least intimidate) the Japanese? Though I doubt it keeps the US out the war, it would affect the nature of the war's beginning.
 
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