Coastguard Station.
6.54 Faversham.
7.4 Sittingbourne.
7.34 Landed.

'_Log of No. 4 Airship, 13th August 1914._

7.40 a.m. Left Kingsnorth.
9.28 Passed Coastguard Station, shaped course
for Calais.
10.35 Shaped course for Dover.
11.25 Shaped course for Calais.
11.35[5] Broke one blade of port propeller, rendering
it necessary to change two for new
blades.
12.55 p.m. Proceeded to Calais.
1.40 Shaped course for Dover.
2.12 Course as requisite to arrive at Calais.
2.52 " " " " " " Dover.
3.20 " " " " " " Calais.
4.00 " " " " " " Dover.
4.45 " " " " " " Calais.
5.45 " " " " " " Deal.
7.30 Arrived at Kingsnorth.
7.53 Landed.

[Footnote 5: 'Off Dover at 11.35 a.m. one blade of the port
propeller burst and flew off, narrowly missing damaging the rigging
near the envelope. We were able to fit two new blades while under
way and continue the patrol. This took one hour and twenty
minutes.']

[Illustration: Airship Patrol. 13th August, 1914.]

It will be seen that the _Parseval_, which could not fly for a whole day
without landing for the replenishment of fuel, plied continually
between Dover and Calais, while the _Astra-Torres_, which was the
stronger ship, laid her course far to the east and north-east to search
the Channel for the approach of hostile craft.

Once the expeditionary force was safely across the Channel, these
routine patrols were discontinued, though both airships and seaplanes
continued to make special scouting flights over the North Sea and
Channel. The main work of the Royal Naval Air Service continued to be
coastguard work. At dawn and at sunset patrols were carried out every
possible day, scouting the line of the coast. The group which had its
centre at the Isle of Grain was entrusted with the defence of the Thames
estuary. They had to report the approach of hostile ships and aircraft,
to help our submarines in attack, and to warn friendly craft. They had
two sub-stations, at Clacton and Westgate, facing each other across the
estuary. The monotony of the life was relieved at times by alarms. In
September a seaplane on patrol from Felixstowe sighted a Zeppelin. The
news was received with enthusiasm, which wa