| LZ 15 (Z I Ersatz) | |
|---|---|
| Role | Rigid reconnaissance/bomber airship |
| National origin | German Empire |
| Manufacturer | Luftschiffbau Zeppelin |
| First flight | 16 January 1913 |
| Introduction | 1913 |
| Retired | 19 March 1913 |
| Status | Destroyed during emergency landing due to adverse weather |
| Primary user | Imperial German Army |
| Number built | 1 |
The Z I Ersatz, military designation of Zeppelin LZ 15, was a rigid airship built by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin in Friedrichshafen, Germany, in the early 1910s for military purposes. [1]
The LZ 15 was constructed at the Zeppelin works in Friedrichshafen and made its first flight on January 16, 1913. [1] It was taken over by the Imperial German Army and given the registration Z I Ersatz, replacing an earlier Z I airship that had been retired due to obsolescence. [2]
The airship measured 142 meters in length and 14.9 meters in diameter. It featured 16 hydrogen gas cells and had a crew of 20 men. [3]
Propulsion was provided by three Maybach B-Y engines, each a 6-cylinder inline, liquid-cooled engine producing 165 horsepower. The engines powered two-bladed propellers at the front and a four-bladed propeller at the rear. [4]
The Z I Ersatz was stationed at Baden-Oos and completed a total of 33 flights. [1] On March 19, 1913, after a 20-hour flight, the airship was unable to return to Baden-Oos due to strong headwinds and was forced to make an emergency landing near Karlsruhe because of fuel exhaustion. [2]
Captain (Hauptmann) Horn managed to land safely at the military training ground around 15:30. However, at about 17:00, strong winds pushed the moored nose of the airship into the ground with such force that the structure ruptured. [2] The crew from Telegraph Battalion No. 4 and the airship team evacuated safely without injuries. The engines and instruments were salvaged, but the rest of the airship was destroyed. [1] [2]
