a single large propeller aft through 4 gear box to reduce the
propeller revolutions to half that of the engine. The estimated
speed of the ship was calculated to be 42 miles per hour, petrol
was carried in tanks, fitted in the keel, and the water ballast
tanks were placed close to the keel and connected together by
means of a pipe.

No. 1 was completed in May, 1911. She had been built at Barrow in
a shed erected on the edge of Cavendish Dock. Arrangements were
made that she should be towed out of the shed to test her
efficiency at a mooring post which had been prepared in the
middle of the dock. She was launched on May 22nd in a flat calm
and was warped out of the shed and hauled to the post where she
was secured without incident. The ship rode at the mooring post
in a steady wind, which at one time increased to 36 miles per
hour, until the afternoon of May 25th, and sustained no damage
whatever. Various engine trials were carried out, but no
attempt was made to fly, as owing to various reasons the ship was
short of lift. Valuable information was, however, gained in
handling the ship, and much was learnt of her behaviour at the
mast. More trouble was experienced in getting her back into the
shed, but she was eventually housed without sustaining any damage
of importance.

Owing to the lack of disposable lift, the bags were deflated and
various modifications were carried out to lighten the ship, of
which the principal were the removal of the keel and cabin
entirely, and the removal of the water-trimming services. Other
minor alterations were made which gave the ship, on completion, a
disposable lift of 3.21 tons. The transverse frames between the