View source for J-class blimp

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{{Infobox aircraft
 |name=J class
 |image= File:J class blimp.jpg
 |caption=NAVY J-4
 |type=Patrol airship
 |manufacturer=[[Goodyear Aerospace|Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation]]
 |designer=
 |first_flight=31 August [[1922 in aviation|1922]]
 |introduction=
 |retired=1940
 |status=
 |primary_user=[[US Navy]]
 |more_users=[[US Army]]
 |produced=
 |number_built=3
 |variants=
}}

The '''J-class blimps''' were non-rigid [[airship]]s designed by the [[Navy Bureau of Aeronautics]] and [[Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company]] in the early 1920s for the US [[United States Navy|Navy]].

==Design and development==
Designed in 1919, the J-type were to be improvements upon the [[D class blimp|D-type]]. Improvements included a smaller envelope (174,800 cu ft), more powerful engines, a new, simple boat style control car capable of water landings and a single [[ballonet]] to reduce weight as tried in the [[H class blimp|H-1]]. Two airships, designated '''J-1''' and '''J-2''', were ordered. J-1 first flew 31 August 1922 at Wingfoot Lake. The J-1 was operated at [[Hampton Roads]] until airship operations there were terminated in 1924. From May 1924 the J-1 served at [[Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst|Lakehurst]], and was at that time the Navy's only active blimp. Due to the single ballonet, the J-1 proved difficult to handle. J-1 was retired in August 1924. J-2 was cancelled due to the failure of the single ballonet J-1, with the car being stored at the [[Naval Aircraft Factory]].

'''J-3''' was assembled from an Army TC type envelope and control car, modified to suit the Navy. Instrumentation came from the J-1. The J-3 first flew 12 October 1926. Lakehurst was the only naval air station which the J-3 served at. Its role was to train crews for the ZR-3 and ZRS-4 and 5. The J-3 was lost on April 4, 1933, during a forced landing while searching for survivors of the Navy rigid airship {{USS|Akron|ZRS-4}}  with the loss of 2 out of  the blimp's crew of 7.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/decummins.htm|title=David e. Cummins, Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy|date=March 2024 }}</ref> Rescue was made by a [[United States Coast Guard]] and [[New York Police Department]] amphibians. '''J-4''' utilized the J-2 control car, modified by enclosing it, and a TC-type envelope. It was test flown in November 1927. The J-4 served as a trainer at Lakehurst until it was sent to Sunnyvale in the summer of 1933. After the Army took over Sunnyvale, the J-4 was returned to Lakehurst in May 1935. The J-4 was stricken from the Navy registry in March 1940.
 
The J-class blimps were equipped with a control car that was suspended externally from the envelope. Utilizing [[helium]] for lift, the envelope capacity was {{convert|210000|cuft|m3|abbr=on}}. Two radial engines powered the [[blimp]].

==Operators==
;{{USA}}
*[[United States Army]] As TC Class Blimps
*[[United States Navy]]

==Specifications (J-3 and J-4)==
{{Aircraft specs
|prime units? = imp
|crew=5-6
|length m=59.76
|length ft=196
|length in=0
|dia m=<!-- airships etc -->13.57
|dia ft=<!-- airships etc -->44
|dia in=<!-- airships etc -->6
|height m=17.68
|height ft=58
|height in=0
|volume m3=<!-- lighter-than-air -->5,964
|volume ft3=<!-- lighter-than-air -->210,600
|lift kg=<!-- lighter-than-air -->2,087
|lift lb=<!-- lighter-than-air -->4,600
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[Union Gas Engine Co|Union]] <!-- what type? -->
|eng1 kw=<!-- prop engines -->97
|eng1 hp=<!-- prop engines -->130
|max speed kmh=96
|max speed mph=60
|cruise speed kmh=<!-- if max speed unknown -->74
|cruise speed mph=<!-- if max speed unknown -->46
|range km=1,556
|range miles=970
|endurance=52 hours|ceiling m=2,439
|ceiling ft=8,000
}}

==See also==
{{aircontent
<!-- include as many lines are appropriate. additional lines/entries with carriage return. -->
|related=<!-- related developments -->
|similar aircraft=<!-- similar or comparable aircraft -->
|lists=<!-- related lists -->
* [[List of airships of the United States Navy]]
* [[List of airship accidents]]
|see also=<!-- other relevant information -->
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{cite book |last= Shock |first= James R. |title=U.S. Navy Airships 1915-1962 |year=2001 |publisher=Atlantis Productions |location=Edgewater, Florida |isbn=0-9639743-8-6 }}

<!-- ==External links== -->
{{USN non-rigid airship classes}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:J Class Blimp}}
[[Category:1920s United States patrol aircraft]]
[[Category:Airships of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Goodyear aircraft]]