Lighter Than Air

by Guy Warner

  Neville served in HMS Doris in 1904.

  In August 1904, approval was given for six months leave to go abroad to study German, during which time he was placed on the books of HMS Firequeen, the Portsmouth depot ship.70

  Having been selected for qualification as a Lieutenant (T), March 1905 found Usborne at HMS Vernon, the RN torpedo school in Portsmouth, where the pioneer ironclad Warrior had arrived in 1904 as a floating workshop, power plant and wireless telegraphy school. In May 1905, he added to his skill at French (for his proficiency in this language he had been awarded the Ryder Memorial Prize as the best student of his year) with the attainment of Interpreter (Higher Standard) in German, for which a gratuity of £70 was granted. In August 1905 he gained a further note of their Lordships’ approval for his services as an interpreter during a visit from the French fleet.71 From July 1905 to April 1906 he was a Lieutenant (T) under training in HMS Defiance and was again described as, ‘zealous and hard working.’72

  This was a ninety-one gun screw vessel of 5700 tons, the last RN wooden line-of-battle ship, launched at Pembroke in 1861. She became the Navy’s torpedo school ship in 1884 and was sold in 1931. While serving there Usborne once more came to their Lordships’ attention, being praised for the experiments he carried out in connection with wireless telegraphy.73

  From April 1906 to March 1907, he attended the Junior Staff Course at the RN College Greenwich. While there he was awarded the Trench-Gascoigne 2nd Prize of thirty guineas by the United Services Institution for an essay on a naval subject. For this he wrote a closely argued and technically detailed piece which was titled; ‘What is the relative value of speed and armament, both strategically and tactically, in a modern battleship, and how far should either be sacrificed to the other in the ideal ship?’ The RN’s most likely probable enemy was identified as the German Navy and the factor governing the relative strengths of the two was stated as the amount of money each was prepared to spend. Usborne writes with clarity and lucidity, and supports his points with a judicious use of statistical evidence and graphical presentation. He concludes that the British fleet should aim for a policy of gradual growth, keeping well ahead of possible opponents in the matter of speed, but without in any way sacrificing gun power to this necessity. It is obvious from reading Usborne’s words that he takes his profession seriously and is studying technical, tactical, strategic and political matters with interest.

  Having qualified for Lieutenant (T), from April 1907 to June 1907, he served in HMS Actaeon – the shore establishment for torpedo training at Sheerness, its nucleus being the former twenty-six gun steam frigate Ariadne of 4538 tons and was rated, ‘a very capable torpedo officer.’74

  In March 1907, it would appear that an interest in aviation had developed, as he wrote to the Admiralty requesting that he might be noted for employment in connection with aerial navigation work should anything for officers arise in the future.75 While awaiting something suitable, Usborne continued with his specialisation. From June 1907 to September 1908, he served as Lieutenant (T) in the County Class cruiser, HMS Berwick, of 9800 tons, launched in 1902, and was once more praised in his CO’s report: ‘A most able torpedo officer. Very zealous and hard-working. Has the knack of handling men.’76

  Neville served in HMS Berwick from 1907 to 1908.

  As part of his duties he would have been in charge of much of the ship’s electrical fittings, therefore it may be assumed that he was developing and gaining in technical knowledge all the time. His skill as an interpreter proved useful once more during 1907, when he was again thanked for services rendered during the visit of the German cruiser, SMS Scharnhorst. He subsequently wrote a report on the wireless telegraphy equipment of the German vessels, for which he was praised.77 Further evidence of his desire to be involved in aviation may be seen in the application which he made in August 1908 to undertake the Army Balloon Course. This was approved, subject to a place being available on a course commencing after September 1908.78

  Reports have survived of a Lieutenant Usborne being in charge of the Royal Navy’s further experiments with Cody kites at Whale Island, Portsmouth, between August and October 1908.79 However, the reports on the trials were not signed by Neville, but by his brother Cecil Vivian. They took place ashore and in a variety of warships, including the battleship HMS Revenge, the cruiser HMS Grafton, and the torpedo boat destroyers HMS Fervent and HMS Recruit. Harry Harper recorded that Cody, ‘astonished the officers of that vessel by striding up their gangway in full cowboy attire, complete with an enormous ten-gallon hat.’80 Usborne was taken aloft on more than one occasion, reporting that from a height of 1200 feet, he had a good bird’s-eye view of Portsmouth Harbour, Portsdown Hills and the Isle of Wight. Exercises were also conducted with submarines and experiments with photography were made.81 Despite favourable reports from Lieutenant Usborne, Captain Tupper of HMS Excellent and the Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, Admiral Fanshawe, the Admiralty decided to proceed no further with naval kiting in his reply to the C-in-C of 24 December 1908.82

  A Naval kite being prepared for flight at HMS Excellent in 1908.

  It seems more than likely, given Neville’s already stated interest in aviation, that he would have talked over progress or otherwise at Whale Island with his brother. Family matters were not overlooked, as in December 1908; he was the best man at Vivian’s wedding, which took place in St Margaret’s Church, Westminster.

  Dreadnoughts and Submarines

  In October 1906, HMS Dreadnought was completed, having been built in just one year. With her revolutionary heavy armament and steam turbines, Dreadnought rendered all her contemporaries obsolete. Caught napping, Imperial Germany would respond in due course with dreadnoughts of her own.

  In December of the same year, SM U-1, the first German U-boat, was commissioned into the Imperial German Navy. The Royal Navy was also building up its submarine service with the B, C and D classes being designed, built, and commissioned between 1905 and 1910, each an improvement on its predecessor.

  Chapter Three

  The ‘Golden Age’ before August 1914

  Naval Aviation Career before the First World War

  Towards the end of 1908, or the start of 1909, Neville was appointed for work at Barrow-in-Furness in connection with construction of Naval Airship No 1. An entry in his naval record of service notes he was on the books of HMS Vernon for further torpedo qualifications, but also seconded to the Admiralty for special services in connection with airship construction and also for duties as an interpreter in German.1

  The first indication of any serious interest being taken in aviation by the Admiralty was on 21 July 1908, when Captain R.H.S. Bacon2, CVO, DSO, RN, the Director of Naval Ordnance, submitted proposals to the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir John Fisher3, GCB, GCVO, ADC, suggesting that a Naval Air Assistant be appointed, that the War Office should be asked to place the Superintendent of the Balloon School in contact with the Admiralty and that a rigid type of airship should be built for the Royal Navy.4

  On 14 August 1908, a letter from the Admiralty invited Messrs Vickers, Son & Maxim of Barrow (Which, as part of BAE Systems, is still to this day a major contractor for UK Government armament work.) to tender for a rigid airship comparable to, or better than, current German airships. There is no doubt that Usborne would have been aware of the developments in lighter-than-air aviation over the previous decade, and that his skills in German would have been most useful in reading material written in the German technical and aviation press.

  Progress in Germany

  The reconstituted design and production team at Friedrichshafen had suffered the trials and tribulations associated with the development of any new technology. It is of interest to note that British official interest had been aroused, as in December 1905 the British consul in Stuttgart was asked to take note of events at the Zeppelin works.5 The LZ2, which was smaller than the LZ1 and with more powerful engines, crashed on its maiden flight in January 1906 due to uncontrollable pitching movement
s, engine and steering failure, and was totally wrecked. Sustained flight was achieved with the LZ3 later in that year, which had horizontal stabilisers to cure the problem. Its maiden flight, on 9 October, lasted over two hours, achieving a top speed of 24mph (38kph) with eleven souls on board. In 1907, the Daily Mail’s air correspondent, Harry Harper, who, in 1906, had been appointed the first full-time air correspondent of a national newspaper, reported:

  ‘Out upon the gleaming surface of Lake Constance the giant craft lies hidden in its floating corrugated iron shed. Count Zeppelin’s crew are at work inside making various changes suggested by successful trials. When they have finished, Count Zeppelin is confident that he will be able to sail for an unbroken period of twenty-four hours. German military experts were jubilant over the Count’s latest achievements and are bringing their utmost influence to bear to induce the government to purchase the ship without waiting for further experiments. Count Zeppelin’s manoeuvres with his airship during the past week have been most remarkable and have convinced everyone that the ship is the most efficient at present in existence.’6

  In 1907, at the Second Hague Conference, the declaration prohibiting the dropping of explosives from the air was renewed, but was signed by only twenty-seven of the forty-four powers represented there and of those who would take part as belligerents in the First World War; by Great Britain, the United States, Portugal and Belgium only. The bombardment of undefended places by any means whatever was forbidden. It lapsed automatically in August 1914 and ceased to be binding when non-contracting powers became belligerents. In the meantime it served to concentrate the minds of those in government in Great Britain and would result in the establishment – the following year – of a committee under Lord Esher,7 which will be discussed below.

  On 1 July 1908, LZ4 made the first international flight by Zeppelin to Switzerland, overflying Lucerne and Geneva, setting a new world air endurance record of twelve hours. A twenty-four hour flight followed a month later at a time when the longest duration aeroplane flight in Europe was but fifteen minutes. (Though Orville Wright was soon to make a solo flight of an hour and a half in the USA.) Unfortunately, LZ4 came to grief while moored on the ground near Stuttgart. It was destroyed in a gas explosion caused by the build up of static electricity caused by the rubberised cotton gas cells rubbing against each other. Luckily nobody was injured. But from the wreckage emerged a wealth of public support in Germany. Money poured in from the rich and poor, which enabled construction of the LZ5 to begin. On 10 November 1908, Kaiser Wilhelm II came to Friedrichshafen to award the Count with the Prussian Order of the Black Eagle and to declare that he was the greatest German of the new century. In the spring of 1909, LZ5 made a long distance flight of 39 hours and 39 minutes, covering 712 miles (1150 km). The Count had become a national hero:

  ‘An emblem of German pride, honour and endeavour. Shops sold marzipan Zeppelins, sweets, cigarettes, harmonicas and yachting caps. There were Zeppelin streets, squares, parks, roses and chrysanthemums.’8

  More importantly, perhaps, from a practical point of view, the German Army bought LZ3, renaming it SMS (Seiner Majestaet Schiff) Z-I, and LZ5, which became Z-II.9 A little later, in 1909, one of the army airships was flown by Count Zeppelin, Major Sperling, and a crew from the Army Balloon Corps, to Munich, followed by a detachment of cavalry, where she was reported as having dipped her nose three times in salute to the Prince Regent and a huge crowd at the city’s Exhibition Hall, and then onwards over the Royal Palace, from where the Princess Maria Theresa and her daughters waved their handkerchiefs in salutation.10 Soon afterwards, Zeppelin and Parseval airships took part in the Imperial Army manoeuvres, held on the border of Wurtemburg and Bavaria, as also did Krupp’s newly invented anti-aircraft artillery.11

  Work progresses at Farnborough under Colonel Capper

  Sadly, the first and only fatal accident experienced by British Army free ballooning aeronauts occurred on 25 May 1907. King Edward VII and Prince Fushimi of Japan visited the Balloon Factory to witness a demonstration of free ballooning. The balloon, Thrasher, carrying Lieutenants T.E. Martin-Leake, RE, and W.T.M. Caulfield, RE, ascended and disappeared from view. Over Abbotsbury the two officers called out to a local farmer to catch hold of the trail rope, but to no avail. It came down in the sea off the Dorset coast near Bridport; neither of the officers were ever found, although the tangled wreck of the balloon was salvaged by a fishing vessel. Meanwhile, the Royal Party paid a visit to the nearby shed where important work had been progressing. It is believed that while inspecting work therein, the King personally named the bulky and impressive dirigible, Nulli Secundus. [The King’s choice of name for the airship was reported in the highly reputable French aeronautical periodical L’Aérophile: ‘Nulli Secundus tel serait, assure-t-on, le nom donné, sur le désire du roi Edouard VII, au nouveau dirigible Anglais; il suffit à indiquer que l’Angleterre entend bien ne pas demeurer en arrière des nations continentals dans les applications du ballon automobile.’]12

  Samuel Cody13 was engaged on the design of the airscrews, engine mounting and the control surfaces for the airship being constructed there. According to Harry Harper, Cody’s, ‘picturesque appearance, and genial, laughing, hail-fellow-well-met manner’ did not endear him to some War Office officials, but more importantly, he and Capper established a rapport and mutual respect.14 A gondola made from a metal tube framework and covered by fabric was constructed by Cody based on plans made by Capper, replacing Templer’s original idea of two basketwork balloon cars. It should be noted that Capper and Templer remained on good terms, and that he made an important contribution to the design of Nulli Secundus, particularly in respect of the construction of the envelope. The challenge facing the team at Farnborough has been described thus:

  ‘Nulli Secundus I, of course, had more than the usual disadvantages associated with any new and untried airship; not only had both she and her pilot [Capper] never flown before, but the whole design and construction had been carried out by a team that had never produced an airship before.’15

  It should, of course, be noted that the same challenge faced nearly every other pioneer of either aeroplanes or airships, including Count Zeppelin, Santos-Dumont and the Wright Brothers, and indeed Harry Ferguson or Lilian Bland in Ireland. Capper tried to rectify his lack of aerial experience by taking part, accompanied at times by Mrs Capper, in a number of civilian balloon events and competitions.

  The maiden flight in the brief career of British Army Dirigible No 1, Nulli Secundus, was from the Army Balloon Factory at Farnborough on 10 September 1907. The great shed had been doubled in length to accommodate the airship, which was a brown, sausage-shaped balloon, made from goldbeater’s skin, some 111 feet (34 metres) in length, with a diameter of 18 feet (5.5 metres) and a capacity of 55,000 cubic feet (1556 cubic metres) covered with a net, with the gondola suspended below from a light framework which could hold three crewmen. She was powered by a 40 hp (29.6 kW) Antoinette engine. At first there were a few problems with the engine running hot and generating less power than required to turn the airscrews at a sufficient rate for successful, sustained flight.16 After some adjustments, she undertook a short series of trials with two flights on 10 September, the second of which was witnessed by Colonel Templer and which concluded with a heavier than desirable descent which caused some superficial damage. No further flights took place for the next three weeks as the Balloon School was programmed to take part with balloons and kites in the autumn manoeuvres. The time was spent productively in making structural alterations to the control surfaces. Two trips were made on 30 September and 3 October, which culminated in a circuit as far as Guildford and back. Nulli Secundus had now flown a total of about three hours and a distance of 25 miles (40 kilometres). Capper was determined to influence public opinion and so coerce the War Office into providing greater funding for the development of aviation. It may also have been the case that he was influenced by the success of Zeppelin LZ 3, which had recently made a flight of 200
miles (320 kilometres) in nine and a quarter hours around Lake Constance, and also the French Lebaudy, La Patrie, which, on 12 July 1907, had flown a closed loop of 40 miles (64 kilometres) around Chalais-Meudon, at an average speed of 22mph (35kph). So he determined upon a bold and spectacular flight. On 5 October, Nulli Secundus was flown the 50 miles (80 kilometres) to London in three and a half hours with Capper at the helm, Cody tending the engine and Captain W.A. King, the instructor in ballooning and map-reading, flying over Kensington, Hyde Park and the War Office, circling St Paul’s Cathedral and landing on the cycle track at Crystal Palace, so establishing a new endurance record for non-rigid airships and ensuring huge headlines in the daily papers. Harry Harper reported on the momentous event as follows:

  ‘In the streets, trams and all other vehicles came to an abrupt halt. London’s millions just stood staring up into the sky in amazement as the airship flew low, only 500 to 600 feet above streets and houses. It was so low that people looking up could see Cody and Capper quite clearly in their small control car, and every now and then Cody would turn from his engine to lean over the side of the car and wave to those below. On the roof of the War Office members of the Army Council stood waving handkerchiefs. It was a moment of triumph.’17

  Nulli Secundus I takes to the air on 10 September 1907.

  Nulli Secundus I over St Paul’s on 5 October 1907.

  [Author’s note: Nulli Secundus took off from Farnborough at 10.40 am and followed the course Frimley – Bagshot – Sunningdale – Staines – Hounslow – Brentford, at a height of between 750 and 1300 feet (230–430 metres) and an average speed, with a following wind, of 24mph (40kph). She passed over Kensington Palace, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, The Strand and Fleet Street, circling St Paul’s at about 12.20 pm. From there a course was taken over Blackfriars, Kennington and Clapham Common before alighting at Crystal Palace at 2 pm.]