historicalhowden

R-100

R-100 AIRSHIP

The R-100 airship, undoubtedly the best airship ever made in Britain!

The R-100, was designed and built at the Royal Naval Air Station on the outskirts of Howden over a 3 year period from, 1926 to 1929, by the Vickers Company under the name of 'The Airship Guarantee Company'.

The R-100 when completed, measured 709 ft.(216 meters) in length, 130 ft.(40 meters) in diameter, had a 5.000.000 cubic ft.(141,600 cubic meters) displacement and was powered by six Rolls Royce engines producing 4.200 horse power.

With the lost of the R-101 all airship production in Britain was stopped. The R-100 was steamrolled and sold for scrap and all future money and technology was transferred to the design and development of the aero plane.

The Howden airship station was left to run down and the town's fortunes with it. The town still survives but the airship station is no more.

For a more detailed account of the construction of the R-100 and the rivalry that existed between the teams building the R-100 and the R101 go to the section on R-100_R-101.