Italian Expertise Needed:Airships

Public Record Office, Air 2/2845, translation of a letter dated 17 August 1918, from Italian Embassy to Air Ministry:

"The Italian Government, at the instancer of the Italian Ministry of Marine, desire to confer the Cross of Cavaliere of the Order of St.Maurice and St.Lazarus on Flight Commander John Baaron [sic, Barron], RNAS, and the Cross of Cavaliere of the Order of the Corona d'Italia on Flight Lieutenant George Meager, for the services rendered by them to the Italian Army during the eight months in which they gave their help at Grottaglie in assembling six airships purchased by the Italian Government in England."

Has anyone any information of these airships - whether used, whether survived war, etc ?

[AGO]

Hugh,
In 1916 the Italian Navy (Regia Marina) assembled at Grottaglie
eight small coastal airships purchased in England in 1916 to be
employed in A/S work .
The first four were all S.S.type and received designation D.E.1
to D.E. 4,were D.E. means "Dirigibile Esploratore".
These machines were bought in the first months of 1916,
arrived in Italy in July and were all assembled in the Summer/Autumn
1916.Note that the Italian had asked for a more powerful
powerplant (an 80 hp Renault engine).
You can find a photo of the gondola of one of these airships
while still in England on the Brad King's photographic book on the
R.N.A.S.It's relatively easy to find photographs of the D.E.s in
Italian service in Italian books (I have a couple of them).
These first four machines were grouped in the "Prima Squadriglia
Dirigibili Esploratori".
From April to september 1916 an Italian military commission
purchased andc in England four other small airships of the S.S.A.
type,(in the Italian Navy D.E.5 to D.E.8-Seconda Squadriglia D.E.)
whose assemby at Grottaglie begun in December 1916 and
training of the Italian crews in the very first months of 1917.
Assembly and training was made (also?) by British instructors.
It is possible that the decorations you have cited are referred to
this activity.
It is pheraps interesting to note that one of these small,disarmed
airships,was attacked off Brindisi by an A-H seaplane on June,
7th 1917.
Its commander.Ten. di Vasc.Catalano Gonzaga , defended the
airship withthe only weapon on board ,his Mauser, until Italian
seaplanes arrived to give assistance.It was probably the only case
of air combat of a coastal airship versus a seaplane.
It seems that none of the British D.E. in Italian service survived the war.
VBR
AGO

[leo]

Were these airships used in anti-submarine patrols or were there other uses?

[Dave_Kent]

Hello:

My source, BATTLEBAGS, Mowthorpe, 1995, states that these 6 airships were all Sea Scout class as follows:

Number Date sent to Italy Date Assembled

SS-4 4 Sep 1917 12 Jan 1918

SS-5 14 July 1917 9 Nov 1917

SS-6 14 July 1917 6 Jan 1918

SS-10B 2 Jun 1917 19 Jan 1918

SS-11 4 Sep 1917 31 Dec 1917

SS-22 2 Jun 1917 Aug 1917

The only story related to their service was for SS-22. On 2 Sep 1917 an engine failure occurred. The Italian crew jumped when the ship neared the ground. SS-22, thus lightened, drifted up to 10,000 ft, where it was brought down by 3 Nieuports. Little damage, except for the envelope which had been well holed.

Later 4 additional SS ships went to Italy, these being SS-44, SS-45, SS-46 and SS-47.

Dave

[AGO]

Hi,
there was in effect a third unit of the Regia Marina equipped
with D.E.s, the "Terza Squadriglia D.E." (D.E.9 to D.E.12,plus
D.E. 19).
These airships were assembled at Campalto and at Jesi
between the end of 1916 and January 1918.I think however
that the machines we are talking about were others,purchased
bythe Italian Army during the relatively short period of time
when the control of the whole Italian naval air service
was delegated by the Regia Marina to the Regio Esercito
(Sept 1916-March 1917).

These were airships of the Army and are not listed in Italian
books on the Navy (as "Albatros" by G.Milanesi, wich is the
book I took from my informations on the D.E.s);
I'll check trough my other books but meanwhile I wish to
know:

Dave, are you sure that "Battlebags" doesn't cite the
S.S. and S.S.A. type airships bought by the Italian Navy?

Leo, the Regia Marina's D.E.s were employed in a/s
work.

VBR
AGO

[Dave_Kent]

Hello:

BATTLEBAGS just lists the 10 S.S. airships as being sold to Italy I could find no reference to a class S.S.A., though SSE, SSP, SST and SSZ classes did exist.

I don't know if you can get access to a copy of the following book. It might have some useful information.

Chiusano, Amedeo & Maurizio Saporiti. BALLONI, DIRIGIBILI ed AEREI del REGIO ESCERCITO, 1884 - 1923 ( Balloons, Dirigibles and Aircraft of the Royal Italian Army 1884 - 1923 ).

Dave

[AGO]

I've lent that book and another one more or less
on the same subject ("I Palloni della Guerra", by
G.Magrin) one year ago.I am stiil waiting for them
back. >
AGO