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"Up Ship!" - A History of the U.S. Navy's Rigid Airships 1919-1935
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"Up Ship!" A History of the U.S. Navy's Rigid Airships 1919-1935
Douglass H. Robinson & Charles L. Keller
Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD
1982
First edition, first printing
During the 1920's the dirigible airship ruled the air. The majesty of of these great silver giants fired the imagination of all who saw them. For the authors a life-long romance with the rigids began when they first saw one of those gentle monsters moving silently across the sky. For anyone lucky enough to fly in them, or to even watch them get underway, the drama and excitement at lift-off was unforgettable. Echoes of "Up Ship!", the final order shouted at the moment the ship lifted, lingered long after the magnificent machines had taken to the clouds.
The U.S. Navy, impressed with German advances in airship technology and the airship's ability to cover great distances, decided in 1919 to develop these ships for long-range scouting missions in the Pacific. Following this came an era of experimentation and development but these advances came with a high cost in blood and money. After tragic loses, and the rapid development of conventional aircraft brought the era of the great rigid airships to an abrupt halt.
The authors unfold the story of this dramatic period in naval aviation with a blending of material from official records with the reminiscences and private papers of the brilliant pioneers who developed these formidable-but-fragile aircraft.
Hard cover
Grey cloth, silver spine lettering. 11 3/4" X 8 3/4" (quarto), pages xiii, 236. Illustrated with historic photographs. Includes appendices with historic airship data, master index.
Fine volume in very near fine dust jacket. Dust jacket shows just a hint of ruffling to the top edge, otherwise fine.
sku
X06005
