720-08 HMA R33/R34 TRANSATLANTIC FLYER

HMA R33 is a name for a class of British military airships from the First World War and the interwar period. The prototype flight took place in 1919. The length of this aircraft was 196 meters with a diameter of 24 meters. The drive was provided by five Sunbeam Maori engines with 275 HP each. The crew consisted of as many as 26 people! The R33 class airships were developed as a development of the R31 type and differed from them mainly in size, performance and the engines used, but with very similar maximum power. From the very beginning, it was assumed that airships of this type would perform patrol and reconnaissance functions over sea areas - especially over the Atlantic. Design works on them started in 1916, but they lasted until 1919, which meant that R33 airships did not take part in the First World War. It is also worth adding that due to budget cuts for the armed forces after 1918, only two airships of this type were created: HMA R33 and HMA R34.