Foreign-Built Airships in U.S. Service,
1919 to 1939

    
Among the many types of airships that were used by the Armed Forces of the United States, there were several of foreign design and manufacture. The airships chiefly under discussion here are those that were in the commissioned service of the United States during the period from 1919-1939. Although during the First World War some American Naval units stationed in Europe were equipped with airships of French and British manufacture, there is, at present, little reliable information on the operational histories of these airships, and even as to how many there
were.
     The chief factor that led the United States to buy and use these airships was the lack of development of the science of airship design and fabrication. During the period between WWI and WWII the United States commissioned in its service four airships of foreign design and manufacture. Three of these airships were purchased from the Allies (one from France and two from Italy) and the fourth was a part of war reparations – the famous Los
Angeles.(1) The two purchased from Italy were semi-rigid designs.
     The other Allied-built airship was the French non-rigid DZ-US-I or DZ-I and eventually designated RN-1. It had about the most successful career of the Allied airships, being in commission for about four
years.
     A fifth airship, the British R-38, was built but crashed during its acceptance trials, therefore it was not, technically speaking, in United States service although only one flight away from
delivery.
     Merle Olmsted covered the flight operations at Langley Field from 1919-22, which included the period of the DZ-US-I and the Roma, in his article "Army Airship Operations, Langley Field,
1919-22."(2)

WWI
Background
     During WWI, U.S. naval units operating from Royal Navy facilities were equipped with several types of airships such as the NS (North Sea), SST (Sea Scout Twin), and the SSZ (Sea Scout Zero). As far as can be determined there were at least three NS-type, three SST-type and two SSZ-type airships operated by (though not necessarily under the command of) American crews, or on order for use by American crews when the Armistice came into effect.3 Only three of these were assigned serial numbers by the U.S. Navy, indicating 
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