The two airships of this class having only just reached a state
of completion, a detailed description cannot be given without
making public much information which must necessarily remain
secret for the present. Various descriptions have, however, been
given in the daily and weekly Press, but it is not intended in
the present edition of this book to attempt to elaborate on
anything which has not been already revealed through these
channels.

It is regrettable that so much that would be of the utmost
interest has to be omitted; but the particulars which follow will
at any rate give sonic idea of the magnitude of the ship and show
that it marks a decided departure from previous experiments and a
great advance on any airship before constructed in Great Britain.

It is also a matter for regret that these two ships were not
completed before the termination of hostilities, as their
capabilities would appear to be sufficient to warrant the
expectations which have been based on their practical utility as
scouting agents for the Grand Fleet.

In all its main features the hull structure of R 33 and R 34
follows the design of the wrecked German Zeppelin airship L 33.
The hull follows more nearly a true streamline shape than in the
previous ships constructed of duralumin, in which a great
proportion of the total length was parallel-sided. The Germans
adopted this new shape from the Schutte-Lanz design and have not
departed from this practice. This consists of a short parallel
body with a long rounded bow and a long tapering stem culminating
in a point. The overall length of the ship is 643 feet with a