Editing Zeppelin (section)

====1914–1918 naval patrols====
[[File:SMS Seydlitz mit Zeppelin.jpg|thumbnail|A Zeppelin flying over {{SMS|Seydlitz||6}}]]

The main use of the airship was in reconnaissance over the [[North Sea]] and the [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]], and the majority of airships manufactured were used by the Navy. Patrolling had priority over any other airship activity.<ref name=Lehmann6>[[#Lehmann|Lehmann Chapter VI]]</ref> During the war almost 1,000 missions were flown over the North Sea alone,<ref name=e /> compared with about 50 strategic bombing raids. The German Navy had some 15 Zeppelins in commission by the end of 1915 and was able to have two or more patrolling continuously at any one time. However, their operations were limited by weather conditions. On 16 February, L&nbsp;3 and L&nbsp;4 were lost owing to a combination of engine failure and high winds, L&nbsp;3 crashing on the Danish island of [[Fanø]] without loss of life and L&nbsp;4 coming down at [[Blåvandshuk|Blaavands Huk]]; eleven crew escaped from the forward gondola, after which the lightened airship with four crew members remaining in the aft engine car was blown out to sea and lost.<ref>Robinson 1971, pp. 83-4</ref>

At this stage in the war there was no clear doctrine for the use of Naval airships. A single large Zeppelin, L&nbsp;5, played an unimportant part in the [[Battle of Dogger Bank (1915)|Battle of the Dogger Bank]] on 24 January 1915. L&nbsp;5 was carrying out a routine patrol when it picked up [[Franz von Hipper|Admiral Hipper]]'s radio signal announcing that he was engaged with the British battle cruiser squadron. Heading towards the German fleet's position, the Zeppelin was forced to climb above the cloud cover by fire from the British fleet: its commander then decided that it was his duty to cover the retreating German fleet rather than observe British movements.<ref>Robinson 1971, pp. 81-2</ref>

In 1915, patrols were only carried out on 124 days and in other years the total was considerably less.<ref>Robinson 1971, p 350</ref> They prevented British ships from approaching Germany, spotted when and where the British were laying mines and later aided in the destruction of those mines.<ref name=Lehmann6/> Zeppelins would sometimes land on the sea next to a minesweeper, bring aboard an officer and show him the mines' locations.<ref name=Lehmann6/>

In 1917, the Royal Navy began to take effective countermeasures against airship patrols over the North Sea. In April, the first [[Curtiss Model H|Curtiss H.12 Large America]] long-range [[flying boats]] were delivered to [[RNAS Felixstowe]], and in July 1917, the aircraft carrier {{HMS|Furious|47|6}} entered service and launching platforms for aeroplanes were fitted to the forward turrets of some light cruisers. On 14 May, L&nbsp;22 was shot down near [[Terschelling|Terschelling Bank]] by an H.12 flown by Lt. Galpin and Sub-Lt. Leckie, which had been alerted following interception of its radio traffic.<ref>Robinson 1971, pp. 233-5</ref> Two abortive interceptions were made by Galpin and Leckie on 24 May and 5 June. On 14 June, L&nbsp;43 was brought down by an H.12 flown by Sub Lts. Hobbs and Dickie. On the same day Galpin and Leckie intercepted and attacked L&nbsp;46. The Germans had believed that the previous unsuccessful attacks had been made by an aircraft operating from one of the Royal Navy's seaplane carriers; now realising that there was a new threat, Strasser ordered airships patrolling in the Terschilling area to maintain an altitude of at least {{convert|4,000|m|ft|abbr=on}}, considerably reducing their effectiveness.<ref>Robinson 1971, p.241</ref> On 21 August, L&nbsp;23, patrolling off the Danish coast, was spotted by the British 3rd Light Cruiser squadron which was in the area. {{HMS|Yarmouth|1911|6}} launched its [[Sopwith Pup]], and Sub-Lt. B. A. Smart succeeded in shooting the Zeppelin down in flames. The cause of the airship's loss was not discovered by the Germans, who believed the Zeppelin had been brought down by anti-aircraft fire from ships.<ref>Robinson 1971, pp. 243–4</ref>