coast. Our airships were also employed for aerial inspection of
London and other large towns by night to examine the effects of
lighting restrictions and obtain information for our
anti-aircraft batteries.

With the single exception of the S.S. ship, which carried out
certain manoeuvres in France in the summer of 1916, our airships
were confined to operations over the sea; but if we had possessed
ships of greater reliability in the early days of the war, it is
conceivable that they would have been of value for certain
purposes to the Army. The Germans employed their Zeppelins at
the bombardment of Antwerp, Warsaw, Nancy and Libau, and their
raids on England are too well remembered to need description.
The French also used airships for the observation of troops
mobilizing and for the destruction of railway depots. The
Italians relied entirely at the beginning of the war on airships,
constructed to fly at great heights, for the bombing of Austrian
troops and territory, and met with a considerable measure of
success.

When it was decided, early in 1915, to develop the airship for
anti-submarine work difficulties which appeared almost
insuperable were encountered at first. To begin with, there were
practically no firms in the country capable of airship
production. The construction of envelopes was a great problem;
as rubber-proofed fabric had been found by experiment to yield
the best results for the holding of gas, various waterproofing
firms were invited to make envelopes, and by whole-hearted
efforts and untiring industry they at last provided very
excellent samples. Fins, rudder planes, and cars were also