LZ 89 (L 50)

Newspaper sketch of LZ 89 bombing Royal Navy ships

Zeppelin LZ 89 (L 50) was an R-class zeppelin of the Imperial German Navy. After a short career during the World War I it ran out of fuel during a mission and was deliberately crashed.

Service

Airship LZ 89 took part in five missions around the North Sea. In addition to the naval scouting missions, it participated in two attacks on the United Kingdom, dropping a total of 4,135 kg (9,116 lb) of bombs on English targets.

On 20 October 1917 LZ 89 was returning from bombing Norwich when it ran out of fuel. To prevent capture the commander ordered the Zeppelin to do a controlled crash near Dammartin-sur-Meuse where the Zeppelin would be destroyed but allow the crew to safely get off the ship. The airship crashed but after the control car had been torn off the ship drifted off over the Mediterranean with five crew members still on board.^[1] Two officers and 14 crewmen of Zeppelin LZ 89 (L 50) were captured and taken prisoners-of-war to Bourbonne-les-Bains.^[2]

Specifications (LZ 89 / Type r zeppelin)

Data from Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893-1940^[3]

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)

Bibliography

Notes

^ Robinson 1971, p. 276.
^ Le Miroir, November 4, 1917, p. 6.
^ Brooks, Peter W. (1992). Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893-1940. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 95–99. ISBN 1560982284.

References

"Zeppelin LZ 89". Le Miroir. Paris. 1917. ISSN 0996-293X.
Robinson, Douglas Hill (1971). The Zeppelin in Combat: A History of the German Naval Airship Division, 1912-1918. Foulis. ISBN 9780854291304.

Zeppelin aircraft

Lighter-than-air
(airships)

Manufacturer
hull
numbers

A Class	LZ 1
B Class	LZ 2 LZ 3
C Class	LZ 4 LZ 5
D Class	LZ 6
E Class	LZ 7 LZ 8
F Class	LZ 9 LZ 10 LZ 12
G Class	LZ 11 LZ 13
H Class	LZ 14 LZ 15 LZ 16 LZ 17 LZ 19 LZ 20
I Class	LZ 18
J Class	skipped
K Class	LZ 21
L Class	LZ 22 LZ 23
M Class	LZ 24 LZ 25 LZ 27 LZ 28 LZ 29 LZ 30 LZ 31 LZ 32 LZ 33 LZ 34 LZ 35 LZ 37
N Class	LZ 26
O Class	LZ 36 LZ 39
P Class	LZ 38 LZ 40 LZ 41 LZ 42 LZ 43 LZ 44 LZ 45 LZ 46 LZ 47 LZ 48 LZ 49 LZ 50 LZ 51 LZ 52 LZ 53 LZ 54 LZ 55 LZ 56 LZ 57 LZ 58 LZ 60 LZ 63
Q Class	LZ 59 LZ 61 LZ 64 LZ 65 LZ 66 LZ 67 LZ 68 LZ 69 LZ 71 LZ 73 LZ 77 LZ 81
R Class	LZ 62 LZ 72 LZ 74 LZ 75 LZ 76 LZ 78 LZ 79 LZ 80 LZ 82 LZ 83 LZ 84 LZ 85 LZ 86 LZ 87 LZ 88 LZ 89 LZ 90
S Class	LZ 91 LZ 92
T Class	LZ 93 LZ 94
U Class	LZ 95 LZ 96 LZ 97 LZ 98 LZ 99
V Class	LZ 100 LZ 101 LZ 103 LZ 105 LZ 106 LZ 107 LZ 108 LZ 109 LZ 110 LZ 111
W Class	LZ 102 LZ 104
X Class	LZ 112 LZ 113 LZ 114
Post-war	LZ 120 LZ 121 LZ 126 LZ 127 LZ 129 LZ 130
Unbuilt	LZ 70 LZ 115–LZ 119 LZ 122–LZ 125 LZ 128 LZ 131–LZ 132

Operator's
identification

Names	Bodensee Deutschland Deutschland II Dixmude Esperia Graf Zeppelin Graf Zeppelin II Hindenburg Hansa USS Los Angeles Méditerranée Nordstern Sachsen Schwaben Viktoria Luise
Army Z designations¹	Z I Ersatz Z I Ersatz Z I (2) Z II Ersatz Z II Z III Z IV Z V Z VI Z VII Z VIII Z IX Z X Z XI Z XII
Army LZ designations²	LZ 34 LZ 35 LZ 37 LZ 38 LZ 39 LZ 72 LZ 74 LZ 77 LZ 79 LZ 81 LZ 85 LZ 86 LZ 87 LZ 88 LZ 90 LZ 93 LZ 95 LZ 97 LZ 98 LZ 101 LZ 103 LZ 107 LZ 111 LZ 113 LZ 120
Navy L designations	L 1 L 2 L 3 L 4 L 5 L 6 L 7 L 8 L 9 L 10 L 11 L 12 L 13 L 14 L 15 L 16 L 17 L 18 L 19 L 20 L 21 L 22 L 23 L 24 L 30 L 31 L 32 L 33 L 34 L 35 L 36 L 37 L 38 L 39 L 40 L 41 L 42 L 43 L 44 L 45 L 46 L 47 L 48 L 49 L 50 L 51 L 52 L 53 L 54 L 55 L 56 L 57 L 58 L 59 L 60 L 61 L 62 L 63 L 64 L 65 L 70 L 71 L 72

Heavier-than-air
(aeroplanes)

Zeppelin-Staaken	8301 VGO.I VGO.II VGO.III R.IV R.V R.VI R.VII R.XIV R.XV R.XVI E.4/20
Zeppelin-Lindau	CL.I CL.II CS.I D.I Rs.I Rs.II Rs.III Rs.IV V1
Zeppelin Flugzeugebau	C.I C.II C.IV
Other	L 1 Rammer Fliegende Panzerfaust ZMe 323 ZMe 423 ZSO 523

¹Early Army designations, used pre-war. ²Wartime Army LZ designations were not always matched to Zeppelin's LZ hull number.

Service

Specifications (LZ 89 / Type r zeppelin)

See also

Bibliography