This is Lakehurstexplains the histor

[Music] yes this is Lakehurst the US Naval Air Station in Ocean County New Jersey one of the vital links in our Navy's world encircling chain of fighting forces and best known as the center of heirship training development and operation commissioned in 1921 Lakehurst is situated approximately 75 miles south of New York City and only 50 miles east of Philadelphia in addition to airship activities Lakehurst also performs many other varied missions prominent among these is the naval air Technical Training Unit conveniently called nattu here qualified enlisted personnel pursuing the highly technical course of a robbery firs mate or thought the study and the properties of air and atmosphere serious work and the students take it seriously they know that in any naval operation whether of surface ships planes or airships success depends greatly upon the collection and dissemination of accurate weather observations flying the weather that's the expression used in this phase of the era logical training in this flying classroom students observe for themselves the many kinds of weather that can be encountered on normal flights this practical experience stresses the necessity for disseminating enlightening weather forecasts with great emphasis placed on such hazards as low ceiling poor visibility turbulence and all other atmospheric perils which beset a pilot the flying classroom is especially valuable to students who will be assigned to weather squadrons dangerous work for in this line of duty the Arab refers mate must stock typhoons and hurricanes [Music] sighs the MUP expertly and make in-flight observations to the Navy weather Centro's where accurate and timely weather forecasts are collated for ship and aircraft operations the parachute rigger school also under the command of nattu has an equally critical place in the Navy's complex operations here students are taught the exacting technique of parachute rigging and packing a parachute when needed means the difference between life and death to an airman and these students fully understand the responsibility that will be theirs when they are assigned to fleet squadrons the parachute rigger moreover is required to be proficient in the operation and maintenance of oxygen breathing equipment used in naval aircraft and the care and use of all types of flotation and survival gear the curriculum includes instruction in tumbling rolling and wind drag procedure for collapsing a parachute [Music] this toughening phase of his training prepares him for a test which all parachute riggers must take the test of making a freefall jump with a parachute which he himself has packed no one who has ever jumped will be careless about packing another man shoot another of the naval activities based on Lakehurst is a fleet air detachment consisting of airship squadron three and helicopter squadron two under the command of the commander-in-chief atlantic fleet squadron two not only provides operational helicopter support for all ships in the atlantic fleet but it is well represented in Korea where its detachments are evacuating the wounded moving up combat troops and performing other services of importance in the Navy's mission of controlling the seas and in the overall tactical patterns for anti-submarine warfare particularly in coastal waters the role of airship squadron 3 is an extremely vital one for in the event of a war with a major power it is anticipated by our naval leaders that the enemy will employ powerful forces or the latest type submarines against us [Music] the United States Navy is prepared to deal with this threat in many ways [Music] [Music] some are top secret but it is no secret that naval airships will play a very large role in the destruction of enemy subs [Music] [Music] the airship proved it's worth during world war ii when blimps escorted a total of 89 thousand ships loaded with millions of troops and billions of dollars in US military equipment and lend-lease supplies without the loss of a single vessel two enemy submarines in performing this great task the airship fleet made over 55,000 operational flights for a total of some 555 thousand hours in the air with only one airship lost from enemy action today with the world once again facing the threat of a global war our country in order to enforce and maintain the peace is building a strong military establishment although the accent in the air is placed on aircraft which can fly higher and faster the US Navy guaranteeing our use of the Seas and denying that use to our enemies continues in its development of a weapon which flies lower and slower [Music] all this development and training is conducted at Lakehurst under the administration of the naval airship training and experimental command aviation rated men in the non pilot school are taught the principles of Aero statics and other related subjects which will give them a working knowledge of the fundamentals of airship structures material maintenance and ground handling in the pilot school experienced heavier-than-air pilots study the fundamentals of lighter-than-air operation airship pilots were formally recruited from surface ships and submarines because airships like water ships are displacement vessels and swim in an ocean of air but the new policy of training already qualified airplane pilots has proved decidedly advantageous it has reduced the length of the course from eight to four months and is producing pilots with dual qualifications a fascinating phase of the lighter-than-air pilot course is the free balloon flight this is good practice for the day a pilot may find himself in an airship with dead engines the exhilarating effect of flying in a balloon comes from the complete absence of sound there is no sense of motion at all for the balloon travels with and at the same speed as the wind altitude is controlled by a valving gas to descend and releasing sand to rise even a handful thrown overboard makes a difference in the equilibrium of the balloon and causes it to rise a little most of the training however is spent in the fleet type k airship piloting a blimp is a job of teamwork the co-pilot operates the rudders which provide lateral control to overcome the wind while the pilot operates the elevators and controls the trim valves which force the airship up and down here we have one of the essential differences between airplanes and airships in an airplane trim is accomplished by tabs on the control surfaces but in a pressure airship this is done by balloons within the envelope called ballonets these balinese contain air and are controlled by the trim valves when the pilot wishes to ascend he applies up elevator and releases air from the forward ballon a thus allowing the lifting gas to shift forward this makes the bow lighter and tilts it upward to descend he applies down elevator and pumps air into the forward ballon a while at the same time releasing air from the one aft the K type airship is 250 feet long and 70 feet wide it contracts submarines for a day and a night refuel from a carrier at sea change cruise and fly on [Music] the larger M type or Mike ship as it is known has remained a law for as long as 170 hours without refueling this is 35 hours longer than the Russian record of 135 hours even larger than the mike is the Navy's newest hunter-killer the NAMM equipped with the latest submarine detection gear the nan is the largest non rigid airship ever constructed keeping an airship operational flying in the air safely requires maintenance checks every 30 60 90 and 120 hours but at the end of 24 months it is sent to Lakehurst for a class-a overhaul here in the giant overhaul and repair shop it receives a reconditioning that is as thorough as it is time-consuming the huge envelope is completely deflated and the car is stripped down until only the skeleton remains each group of skilled technicians performs hundreds of specialized inspections and repairs engine mechanics electronic specialists envelope maintenance all see to it that every defect no matter how minor is corrected about 225,000 man-hours later the work of rehabilitation is completed and the tremendous job of erecting and rigging the airship begins before the inflation a heavy rope net weighted down with sandbags is placed over the envelope to control and hold it down until the car is attached when all is in readiness the gas hoses are connected and the non inflammable helium is turned on the use of flame proof helium as a lifting gas instead of the cheaper and lighter but inflammable hydrogen has been affixed military policy in the United States since 1922 since that time not only has the safety of airship operation increased immeasurably but not a single u.s. airship suffered a fate similar to that of the hydrogen-filled Hindenburg which burned in 1937 at Lakers [Music] [Music] as the revitalizing gas is infused into the bag it begins to show signs of light then like a newborn calf struggling to its knees the great rope chained giant struggles to rise approximately eight days later during which time it has consumed more than half a million cubic feet of helium the inflated envelope is neatly coupled to its completely overhauled car mechanics swarming over its nose like steeple jacks attach the battens which support the mooring gear these battens also help to prevent collapse of the envelope from the RAM effect of air pressure during the ship's forward motion and now checked inspected and flight tested the sleek nomad of the air glides out of the overhaul and repair hangar ready for duty with the fleet its mooring gear is disengaged its engines roar and the ship is airborne a final farewell salute to the Lakers [Music] and soon our hunter-killer becomes a fleeting silhouette against the horizon flying back to its home base to resume the ceaseless vigilance to our shores a sentinel a watchdog a killer [Music]