Z I (army tactical No.)
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| LZ 15 (Z I Ersatz) | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Rigid reconnaissance/bomber airship |
| National origin | German Empire |
| Manufacturer | Luftschiffbau Zeppelin |
| Status | Destroyed during emergency landing due to adverse weather |
| Primary user | Imperial German Army |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 16 January 1913 |
| Retired | 19 March 1913 |
The Z I Ersatz, military designation of Zeppelin LZ 15, was a rigid airship built by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin in Friedrichshafen, Germany, in the early 1910s for military purposes.[1]
The LZ 15 was constructed at the Zeppelin works in Friedrichshafen and made its first flight on January 16, 1913.[1] It was taken over by the Imperial German Army and given the registration Z I Ersatz, replacing an earlier Z I airship that had been retired due to obsolescence.[2]
The airship measured 142 meters in length and 14.9 meters in diameter. It featured 16 hydrogen gas cells and had a crew of 20 men.[3]
Propulsion was provided by three Maybach B-Y engines, each a 6-cylinder inline, liquid-cooled engine producing 165 horsepower. The engines powered two-bladed propellers at the front and a four-bladed propeller at the rear.[4]
Operational history
The Z I Ersatz was stationed at Baden-Oos and completed a total of 33 flights.[1] On March 19, 1913, after a 20-hour flight, the airship was unable to return to Baden-Oos due to strong headwinds and was forced to make an emergency landing near Karlsruhe because of fuel exhaustion.[2]
Captain (Hauptmann) Horn managed to land safely at the military training ground around 15:30. However, at about 17:00, strong winds pushed the moored nose of the airship into the ground with such force that the structure ruptured.[2] The crew from Telegraph Battalion No. 4 and the airship team evacuated safely without injuries. The engines and instruments were salvaged, but the rest of the airship was destroyed.[1][2]
