The weather has ceased to be the deterrent of the early days.
Many will no doubt remember seeing the North Sea airship over
London on a day of squalls and snow showers, and R 34 encountered
heavy snow storms on the occasion of one of her flight trials,
which goes to prove that the airship is scarcely the fair-weather
aircraft as maintained by her opponents.

Throughout the war our airships flew for approximately 89,000
hours and covered a distance of upwards of two and a quarter
million miles. The Germans attempted to win the war by the
wholesale sinking of our merchant shipping, bringing supplies and
food to these islands, and by torpedoing our transports and
ships carrying guns and munitions of war. They were, perhaps,
nearer to success than we thought at the time, but we were saved
by the defeat of the submarine. In the victory won over the
underseas craft the airship certainly played a prominent part and
we, who never suffered the pinch of hunger, should gratefully
remember those who never lost heart, but in spite of all
difficulties and discouragement, designed, built, maintained and
flew our fleet of airships.



CHAPTER IX
THE FUTURE OF AIRSHIPS

With the signing of the Armistice on November 11th, 1918, the
airship's work in the war was practically completed and peace
reigned on the stations which for so many months had been centres