observation. In addition to this, practically the whole of the
airship personnel now filling the higher positions, such as
Captains of Rigids and North Seas, graduated as pilots in this
type of airship. From these they passed to the Coastal and
onwards to the larger vessels.

As far as is known the height record for a British airship is
still held by an S.S.B.E. 2C, one of these ships reaching the
altitude of 10,300 feet in the summer of 1916.

The Maurice Farman previously mentioned as being fitted with the
Hawk engine, carried out a patrol one day of 18 hours 20 minutes.
In the summer of 1916 one of the Armstrong ships was rigged to an
envelope doped black and sent over to France. While there she
carried out certain operations at night which were attended with
success, proving that under certain circumstances the airship can
be of value in operating with the military forces over land.


S.S.P.

In 1916 the design was commenced for an S.S. ship which should
have a more comfortable car and be not merely an adaptation of
an aeroplane body. These cars, which were of rectangular shape
with a blunt nose, were fitted with a single landing skid aft,
and contained seats for three persons.

The engine, a 100 horse-power water-cooled Green, was mounted on
bearers aft and drove a four-bladed pusher propeller. The
petrol was carried in aluminium tanks attached by fabric slings