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Roma was an Italian-built semi-rigid airship, designated by its constructor as the Model T-34. Purchased by the United States from the Italian government in 1921, Roma was operated by the United States Army Air Service from November 1921 to February 21, 1922, when it crashed in Norfolk, Virginia, killing 34 people aboard, with 9 survivors. As a result of this accident, Roma was the last hydrogen inflated airship flown by the US military; all subsequent airships were inflated with helium.

Roma
Role	Training airship Type of aircraft
National origin	Italy
Manufacturer	Stabilimento Construzioni Aeronautiche (SCA)
Designer	Umberto Nobile
First flight	September 1920 (Italian builders) 15 November 1921 (in USA)
Status	Destroyed after crash and explosion 21 February 1922
Primary user	United States Army Air Service
Number built	1

Design and development

The Roma was designed by Celestino Usuelli, the engineers Eugenio Prassone, Umberto Nobile and Colonel Gaetano Crocco.[1] Designated and advertised as the Model T-34, it was the first project of the Stabilimento Costruzioni Aeronautiche ("Aeronautical Construction Factory"), for the partnership of Nobile, Usuelli, Croce and Giuseppe Valle.[2] The T-34 was designed for trans-Atlantic crossings carrying up to 100 passengers, though initially fitted for 25.[1] When constructed, Roma was the largest semi-rigid airship in the world.[2]

As a semi-rigid design it was built about a rigid keel - though the keel was partially articulated to allow some flexibility. The passenger spaces and control cabin were within the keel. The engines, 400 hp Ansaldo 4E-2940 V-12s,[3] were mounted outside, angled such that the slipstreams would not interfere with each other.[1]

Service

In September 1920, Roma made its first trial flight.[4]^{[URL required, verification needed]}

The airship was purchased by the United States Army Air Service for $184,000 (equivalent to $2.8 million in 2021).[3] During the inspection and delivery ceremonies in March 1921, the Italians treated the new owners with a 300-mile (480 km) flight on the Roma, from Rome to Naples and back, carrying the US Ambassador, his wife and several Army officers. The passengers were served lunch while flying over the island of Capri.[5]^{[URL required, verification needed]}

The Army originally planned to fly the Roma to the United States, but instead the dirigible was dismantled, packed in several crates and transported by ship, arriving in the US in August, 1921. When the Army unpacked the crates after their arrival at Langley Field, they found the airship's fabric skin mildewed and weakened.[6] After being reassembled by US Army Air Service crews at Langley, Roma flew in America for the first time on November 15, 1921, with minor problems. On a subsequent flight, a propeller disintegrated, ripped open the envelope and slashed a gas bag; the airship managed to return safely.[7]^{[URL required, verification needed]}

During a flight to Washington, D.C. on December 21, 1921, the Roma experienced several engine breakdowns due to the cold weather. After the return flight to Langley was made on only four engines, the original Italian Ansaldo engines were replaced with six Liberty L-12's.[2]

Crash

The Roma crashed in Norfolk, Virginia during a test flight on February 21, 1922. The airship left Langley Field shortly before 1:00 PM in the afternoon, with 45 people on board, most of whom were US Army airmen. There were also a few civilians, including mechanics and government observers. aboard for the test flight. After lifting off, the pilot, Captain Dale Mabry, set a course along the shore of Chesapeake Bay that took it over Buckroe Beach, and Fort Monroe, before crossing Hampton Roads and passing over Willoughby Spit en-route to the Norfolk Navy Base.[6] The crash of the Roma was caused by failure of the airship's box rudder system, which allowed it to maneuver over tight areas. Witnesses reported seeing the entire box rudder slip sideways, and the then-uncontrollable airship flew straight into the ground at the Army's Norfolk Quartermaster Depot (now the location of Norfolk International Terminals) from an altitude of 1,000 feet (300 m). Just before the bow struck the ground, the Roma contacted high-voltage power lines and burst into flames. A total of 34 people were killed, 8 were injured, and 3 escaped unharmed. Among the dead was the pilot, Mabry. The crash of the Roma marked the greatest disaster in American aeronautics history up to that time.

Master Sergeant Harry A. Chapman earned the Cheney Award for his heroics during the crash. He was the first recipient of the award, which was presented by President Calvin Coolidge in 1928.

Although it was America's worst aviation disaster at the time, a century later the crash of the Roma has largely been forgotten, eclipsed by the Hindenburg disaster, which occurred 15 years later and effectively ended the airship era. At Langley Air Force base, the spot where the massive hanger that housed the Roma once stood is now a parking lot; it is still known as the "LTA" ("lighter than air") area, and the base's Roma Road is named in memory of the ill-fated airship.[6]

Specifications

Data from [2]

General characteristics

• Length: 125 m (410 ft 0 in)
• Diameter: 25 m (82 ft 0 in)
• Height: 28 m (92 ft)
• Volume: 33,810 m³ (1,193,000 cu ft)
• Empty weight: 34,500 kg (76,000 lb)
• Useful lift: 19,100 kg (42,000 lb)
• Powerplant: 6 × Liberty L12 , 300 kW (400 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 128 km/h (80 mph, 70 kn)
• Cruise speed: 90 km/h (56 mph, 49 kn) [1]
• Range: 4,800 km (3,000 mi, 2,600 nmi) [1]

References

Bibliography

• "The "Roma" Disaster", Flight, XIV (688): 140, 2 March 1922, archived from the original (pdf) on 6 March 2016, retrieved 20 August 2011
• Tampa Times, February 22, 1922. Page 1.
• Smith, Alfred Emanuel; Walton, Francis (March 3, 1922). "The Destruction Of The Roma". The Outlook. Vol. 130. pp. 369–370. Retrieved 2009-07-30.

На других языках

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[de] Roma (Luftschiff)

Das Kielluftschiff Roma entstand in der Nähe von Rom unter dem italienischen Luftschiffkonstrukteur Umberto Nobile in Zusammenarbeit mit Celestino Usuelli (1877–1926), Gaetano Arturo Crocco und Eugenio Prassone und wurde 1921 von den Luftstreitkräften der US-Armee (damals: US Army Air Service) für 165.000 US-Dollar gekauft.

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- [en] Roma (airship)

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[fr] Nobile T.34 Roma

Le Nobile T.34 Roma est un dirigeable semi-rigide, conçu par l'ingénieur aéronautique italien Umberto Nobile ingénieur de génie et pionnier des dirigeables italiens. Construit en collaboration avec d'autres ingénieurs italiens spécialistes, Celestino Usuelli, Eugenio Prassone et Gaetano Crocco, l'aéronef fut fabriqué en Italie par la société SCA de Rome.

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[it] Roma (dirigibile)

Il Roma era un dirigibile semirigido di fabbricazione italiana in dotazione al servizio aereo dell'esercito degli Stati Uniti d'America.

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