Category:Zodiac Vedette Airship

Zodiac Vedette Airship seen in L'autre aile.

The company was founded in 1896 as "Mallet, Mélandri et de Pitray" by Maurice Mallet and his associates. In the beginning, the company was involved in the production of hydrogen balloons for sport and tourism. The company name changed several times until 1909, eventually to "Zodiac". The company then experienced a boom fueled by the construction of airplanes and airships, especially for the Aérostation Maritime (Naval Balloon Command), and through its participation in the war effort. Until the 1930s, 63 airships would leave Zodiac's workshops.
The Vedette were 18 airships designed and built during World War One by Zodiac for the French Navy. They were dedicated mainly to protection of harbor approaches, detection of enemy mines and surveillance of friendly mine fields, patrolling access channels and boarding - if necessary attacking and destroying - suspect or enemy ships and submersibles.
specifications : length = 38 meters ; diameter = 11 meters ; height = 15 meters ; volume = 2 800 m3.
The gondola may change from an airship to another.
A forereunner, the smaller Grain de café / Coffee bean, was only 2 150 m3 and known as VZ-0 and it can be associated with this category.

This page lists all films that feature the Zodiac Vedette family.

See also

• a rare but complete French book about all the airship and dirigible of the French Navy (2008).