Irish People Try Being English People

…nope, I don’t think they will

The Doclopedia #2,431

Game Changers: Airships

On Earth 1-T, as on many alternate realities, the May 6, 1937, crash and fire of the Hindenburg pretty much shut down the Age of Airships. It scared the crap out of most people, which allowed the airlines to trumpet their own safety record and attract customers. Even in the 21^st century, airships in most realities are still mostly novelties that operate on a very limited scale.

But on Earth 1-T, the disaster only paused the Age of Airships for a few years. Things got back on track when the United States and Great Britain developed their Very High Altitude Bombers, airships that could go higher than any plane and drop guided bombs upon their targets. While their usage was pretty limited, these VeeHABS had many advances to airship design and safety. They were more aerodynamic, faster, and safer than any airship had ever been.

After the war, airship development for commercial use was mostly in the direction of hauling cargo to remote locations where planes could not easily land. They became popular for deliveries, since they used about the same fuel as a truck, but had a cruising speed of 90 mph and could pretty much go in a straight line from point A to point B. As a result of their increased usage, larger models were built that flew longer routes, often between major cities.

The general populace was still on the fence when the Oil Crisis of 1958 happened. An oil well drilling site in Canada drilled deep and hit a layer of “strange goo”. They sent samples to a lab and kept drilling, but after hitting goo 7 more times, gave up and went off to the next job.

A month later, the lab found that the goo was partly polymerized crude oil and it was teaming with a bacteria that ate oil and excreted the polymer. This was horrific news to the oil industry, especially since the bacteria could live for weeks on most surfaces, and for months on a dirty vehicle engine or in oil contaminated soil.

By 1960, it spread all across Canada and much of the United States, Mexico, and, possibly due to migratory birds, Russia. By 1962, it was popping up worldwide and the price of gasoline in the United States hit $1.00 a gallon. Jet fuel was equally expensive.

Having seen the writing on the petrochemical wall, the airship companies switched to alternate fuel/propulsion methods. For some shorter routes, the used sails. For other purposes, they used electric or alcohol to power engines. Airships also got bigger, to handle more cargo.

In 1963, President Kennedy signed two bills that reflected the Fuel Crisis’ effect on the nation. The first bill allocated 3 billion dollars for alternate fuel development, and the second pumped another 2 billion into the airship industry. From there, things really got going in airship use and design.

On September 12^th, 1964, the airship “Sweet Mary” took off from Oakland airport on a transcontinental route to Lakehurst, New Jersey, site of the Hindenburg crash 27 years earlier. On board were ordinary folks, movie stars, scientists, reporters and President Kennedy and his family. The ship cruised at 120 miles an hour and crossed the United States in 23 hours, 18 minutes. Everyone on board agreed it was comfortable, quiet, and much better than jet travel, if slower. It was also one fifth the price. The public was sold.

Eventually, in 1975, the bacterial Oil Crisis was solved, but world oil production was a shadow of it’s former self. Airships, on the other hand, had only gotten better, safer, faster, and mostly, electrified using lighter batteries and solar power. Speedier jet powered airships used alcohol for fuel. The Age of Airships was in full swing.