pelins for scouting purposes
with the high seas fleet. Responsible people were guilty of a grave
mistake when speaking in public in denouncing the Zeppelin as a useless
monster every time one was destroyed in a raid on this country. The
main function of the Zeppelin airship was to act as an aerial scout,
and it carried out these duties with the utmost efficiency during the
war. It is acknowledged that the German fleet owed its escape after
the Battle of Jutland to the information received from their airships,
while again the Zeppelin was instrumental in effecting the escape of
the flotilla which bombarded Scarborough in 1916.

Very probably, also, the large airship was responsible for the success
which attended the U boats during their attack on the cruisers
Nottingham and Falmouth, and also at the Hogue disaster.

Various experiments were carried out in towing airships by cruisers, in
refuelling while in tow and changing crews, all of which would have
borne good fruit had the war lasted longer.

An exceedingly interesting experiment was carried out during the
closing stages of the war by an airship of the S.S. Zero type. At this
period the German submarines were gradually extending their operations
at a greater distance from our coasts, and the authorities became
concerned at the prospect that the small type of airship would not
possess sufficient endurance to carry out patrol over these increased
distances. The possibility was considered of carrying a small airship
on board a ship which should carry out patrol and return to the ship
for refuelling purposes, to replenish gas, and change her crew. To
test the feasibility of this idea S.S. Z 57 carried out landing
experiments on the deck of H.M.S. Furious, which had been adapted as an
aeroplane carrier. S.S. Z 57 came over the deck and dropped her trail
rope, which was passed through a block secured to the deck, and was
hauled down without difficulty. These experiments were continued while
the ship was under weigh and were highly successful. No great
difficulty was encountered in making fast the trail rope, and the
airship proved quite easy to handle. The car was also lowered into the
hangar below the upper deck, the envelope only remaining on the upper
level, and everything worked smoothly. If the war had continued there
is no doubt that some attempt would have been made to test the
practical efficiency of the problem.

Anti-submarine patrol was the chief w