A new acquisition for the image library is this magic lantern slide of N.S.4 – probably taken during the winter of 1917/18. N.S.4 was one of the commands of N.S.11’s Captain W. K. F. G. Warneford. Seen here loaded with its maximum payload of six 230lb bombs (used for anti-submarine duties) N.S.4 was photographed often and appears several times in our NS-Class gallery. It is rare to find a photograph of an N.S.-Class airship with bombs loaded. In this photograph it is fitted with two 250HP Rolls Royce engines – with the complicated drive shafts that gave so much trouble before the class (N.S.4 was modified as N.S.3 with a Wheelwright control car) was later converted to use 240HP FIAT engines. Two Lewis guns are mounted at the rear of the control car.
NS4 undertook trial flights on 17 September 1917 and was transferred to East Fortune on 15 October. To Longside on 17 June 1918 and back to East Fortune 27 August and on to Kingsnorth two days later. Transferred to Howden via Cranwell on 13 october 1918 and then to Longside on 23 October by Captain W. K. Warneford. Deflated Longside 6 February 1919. Deleted October 1919.
See the image in the NS Class Gallery
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