LZ 54 (L 19)

LZ 54
Role	Reconnaissance and bombing
National origin	German Empire
Type	P-class Zeppelin
Manufacturer	Luftschiffbau Zeppelin at Friedrichshafen
Construction number	LZ 54
Serial	L 19
First flight	27 November 1915
Owners and operators	German Empire
In service	27 November 1915 – 1 February 1916
Flights	14
Fate	Crashed, 1 February 1916

Zeppelin LZ 54, given the military tactical designation L 19, was a World War I Zeppelin of the Kaiserliche Marine (German Imperial Navy). While returning from her first bombing raid on the United Kingdom in early 1916, she came down in the North Sea. Her crew survived the crash, but drowned after the crew of a British fishing vessel refused to rescue them; at the time this was a widely reported and notorious incident.

LZ 54 was one of twenty–two P-class military Zeppelins built by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin for the German Army and Navy as improved versions of the pre–war, M–class airship, with larger gas volume and more power, having four instead of three engines. These were initially 180 horsepower (134 kW) Maybach C-X engines; later replaced with the 240 horsepower (179 kW), Maybach HSLu. LZ 54 had two gondolas, a control cabin forward with a single engine and rear gondola mounting the other three engines. The P-class Zeppelins were around 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) faster than the earlier craft, a higher service ceiling, double the payload and over double the range.

A bomb load of 1,600 kilograms (3,530 lb) could be carried and a number of MG 08 machine guns were mounted for aircraft defence. The number of guns varied – army Zeppelins carried more as they operated over land and enemy aircraft were a greater threat, navy Zeppelins carried fewer to save weight. The guns were mounted in the two gondolas under the airship, in a tail gun position, and on a dorsal gun platform on the top of the envelope. This upper platform could accommodate three guns and their gunners. The airship's normal complement was 18, but it could be flown with a smaller crew.

LZ 54 first flew on 27 November 1915, completing 14 flights during her nine weeks of service. Several of these flights were patrols over the North Sea, searching for Allied merchant and naval ships. Naval scouting was the main role of the navy's Zeppelin fleet, and a total of 220 such flights were carried out during the war. The lack of aggressive activity by the German Navy meant the tactical need for such scouting was reduced. During the winter of 1915–1916, LZ 54 became well-known to neutral merchant ships in the North Sea due to her frequent patrols. On one occasion, she touched down close to a Swedish ship to inspect her. The ship was allowed to proceed when her neutral status was established.

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