Re(5): Could Airships Really Revolutionize the U.S. Navy? Posted on 5/23/2019 at 20:20:06 by Pete Schoeffel
During WW II no ships were sunk in convoys escorted by blimps--FACT-- and that was many convoys and blimps.
My first duty station was a destroyer, and I became her air controller, obviously mostly of fixed wing and ASW helos. Few fixed wing, many helos (in the ASW screen). One night shortly after I turned in after an 8 - midnight watch, I was rousted out to take control of a blimp that had just arrived. We air controllers were always deeply concerned about the "state" of the aircraft we controlled, i.e., their fuel state (usually not more than an hour or two of fuel), so that they would not be sent on a vector that ran them below a safe state. As soon as an aircraft showed up it was necessary to alleviate the Captain's anxiety by having a qualified air controller in contact to mother it.My first transmission, therefor, after an initial radio check was, "What state?" It did not reduce my irritation at having been denied any sleep when the blimp replied, "About five days." Replies:
