Nulli Secundus - First British Airship
by Charles Knotek
Title
Nulli Secundus - First British Airship
Artist
Charles Knotek
Medium
Painting - Mixed Media On Cold Press Illustration Board
Description
In the early 1900's, Great Britain sent Colonel J.L.B. Templer, the commanding officer in charge of the Army Balloon Factory, to France to meet with the famed dirgible builder, Alberto Santos-Dumont. After consulting with Dumont, and studying his many airships, Templer returned to England and began construction on Englands' first lighter-than-air dirigibles. The airships were unique, in that theywere made of a rugged material called goldbeater's skin. After some minor adjustments were made in the thickness of this unusual material, the first airship was successfully completed and was christened, Nulli Secundus ... or "second to none." However, this dirigible proved to be very unstable and difficult to navigate. In fact, on one of its few flights, the airship was forced to make acrash landing and was badly damaged. All of the pieces of the airship were gathered up, and later were rebuilt into a larger and grander airship known as the Nulli Secundus II. This airship consisted of a larger 85,000 cubic foot envelope made of several ultra-thin layers of goldbeater's skin. A large steel understructure was attached to the bottom of the envelope by several wide silk bands. The most remarkable feature of this airship was its navigational system, which consisted of a separate balloon attached to the ships's keel. This made the Nulli Secundus II a truly unique dirigible.
Please note the "Fine Art America" watermark will not appear on the painting or any print reproduction.
Artwork Copyright © 1983 Wind River Studios Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the Copyright. WRSH Stock Number XB08254
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April 24th, 2022
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