Zeppelin LZ 64
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The Imperial German Navy Zeppelin LZ 64, given the tactical number L 22, was a Q-class / L20-class World War I zeppelin of the Imperial German Navy.


Operational history

LZ 64 carried out thirty reconnaissance missions, including 8 attacks on Britain, dropping of bombs.


Last mission

Lieutenant Robert Leckie (a Canadian) of the
Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...
(RNAS), was sent on a mission on 14 May 1917, as pilot of Curtiss Model H-12 Large America 8666, under the command of Flight Lieutenant Christopher John Galpin. The aircraft left
Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...
on patrol at 03.30 a.m. in poor weather, with heavy rain and low cloud. The weather cleared as they approached Texel, and at 4:45 a.m. they spotted
Brandaris The Brandaris is a lighthouse on the Dutch Wadden Sea island Terschelling, in Friesland. It is the oldest lighthouse in the Netherlands, listed as a Rijksmonument, number 35032 and rated with a very high historical value. History The firs ...
, (the lighthouse on
Terschelling Terschelling (; fry, Skylge; Terschelling dialect: ''Schylge'') is a municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands. It is situated between the islands of Vlieland and Ameland. Wadden Islanders are k ...
), and a few minutes later LZ 64 about away. The Curtiss increased speed and gained height, with Leckie at the controls as Galpin manned the twin Lewis guns mounted in the bow. The Curtiss managed to approach to within before she was spotted, and the Zeppelin attempted to evade, but by then it was too late. The aircraft dived down alongside and Galpin fired an entire drum of incendiary bullets at a range of about . Zeppelin ''L 64'' rapidly caught fire, and crashed into the sea. The Curtiss returned to Great Yarmouth by 7:50 a.m., and they found only two bullet holes, in the left upper wing and the hull amidships, where the Germans had returned fire. Leckie was also credited in the downing of LZ 112.


Specifications (LZ 64)


See also

* List of Zeppelins *LZ-22 forced to land on 21 August 1914


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:112 Airships of Germany Hydrogen airships Zeppelins Aviation accidents and incidents in 1917 Accidents and incidents involving balloons and airships Aircraft first flown in 1916 Aviation accidents and incidents in the Netherlands 1917 disasters in the Netherlands