The Imperial German Navy Zeppelin LZ 86 (L-39) was a R-class World War I zeppelin.[1]

LZ 86 / L 39
The wreckage of Imperial German Navy Zeppelin LZ 86 (L 39) after being shot down on March 17 1917
Role	R-class reconnaissance-bomber rigid airship Type of aircraft
National origin	German Empire
Manufacturer	Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
Designer	Ludwig Dürr
First flight	11 December 1916
Retired	Decommissioned in September 1918.
Primary user	Imperial German Army
Number built	1

Operational history

Two reconnaissance missions around the North Sea; one attack on England dropping 300 kg bombs.

Destruction

Returning to Imperial German airspace the airship was destroyed by French flak near Compiègne on 17 March 1917.[2]

Specifications (LZ 80 / Type R zeppelin)

Data from Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893–1940 [1]

General characteristics

• Crew: 17-19
• Capacity: 32,400 kg (71,430 lb) typical disposable load
• Length: 198 m (649 ft 7 in)
• Diameter: 23.9 m (78 ft 5 in) maximum
• Fineness ratio: 8.24
• Volume: 55,200 m³ (1,950,000 cu ft) in 19 gas cells
• Empty weight: 31,400 kg (69,225 lb)
• Gross weight: 32,908 kg (72,550 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 6,250 kg (13,779 lb)
• Useful lift: 63,800 kg (140,700 lb)
• Powerplant: 5 × Maybach HS Lu 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engines, 180 kW (240 hp) each
• Propellers: 4-bladed Lorenzen fixed-pitch propellers

Performance

• Maximum speed: 103 km/h (64 mph, 56 kn)
• Cruise speed: 81 km/h (50 mph, 44 kn)
• Range: 7,400 km (4,600 mi, 4,000 nmi) at 81 km/h (50 mph; 44 kn)
• Service ceiling: 3,900 m (12,800 ft) static
• Rate of climb: 10 m/s (2,000 ft/min) maximum permitted (r-class)

Armament

• Guns: machine-guns in hull-top positions and gondolas
• Bombs: up to 60 bombs to a total of 5,000 kg (11,023 lb)

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to LZ 86 / L 39.

• List of Zeppelins

Bibliography

Notes

References

• Brooks, Peter W. (1992). Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893–1940. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 95–99. ISBN 9781560982289.
• Robinson, Douglas Hill (1971). The Zeppelin in Combat: A History of the German Naval Airship Division, 1912-1918. Foulis. ISBN 9780854291304. - Total pages: 417