Interesting fact... apparently the dirigibles from this universe have been given armor cladding to make them resistant to attack. Additionally, some of them have also been turned into flying gun batteries with multiple cannons. I have to wonder though, is any of that actually physically possible? I don't think helium or hydrogen has enough lifting power to support the amount of weight all of those extra addons would require. Additionally, the amount of recoil a cannon generates would keep them from being able to maintain their positions, since I imagine that they fire from the broadsides just like battleships, though their propulsion is directed rearward so there would be no way to compensate for the side drift from the recoil.
@BrokenEagle98 The lift produced by a balloon is related to the density of the atmosphere, so if the air was largely composed of a dense gas like SF₆ (never mind the other effects of such an atmosphere) you could conceivably triple or quadruple the lifting capacity of an airship. It still wouldn't support the kind of heavy plating you see on tanks and ships, but it might be proof against small arms fire.
I doubt that the shock of cannon fire would do much to move one of these things. They present an enormous amount of surface area on either side, so air resistance would quickly dampen any sideways motion in between salvos.
Interesting fact... apparently the dirigibles from this universe have been given armor cladding to make them resistant to attack. Additionally, some of them have also been turned into flying gun batteries with multiple cannons. I have to wonder though, is any of that actually physically possible? I don't think helium or hydrogen has enough lifting power to support the amount of weight all of those extra addons would require. Additionally, the amount of recoil a cannon generates would keep them from being able to maintain their positions, since I imagine that they fire from the broadsides just like battleships, though their propulsion is directed rearward so there would be no way to compensate for the side drift from the recoil.
In terms of lift capacity, modern airships seem to be working currently on cargo capacities of 20 short tons to 50 metric tonnes. At least the ones I am coming across for cargo transport. Though they are working on designs that can scale up, and one company claiming next will be 250 metric tonne model with a scale up potential of up to 3k metric tonne carrying capacity.
that may depend on the gas, does that world have helium equivalent or are they using volatile pure hydrogen? The idea of that going off won't save it from Hindenburg with those plantings ^^;
If we gonna talk about one of humanity vices like turning creation of instruments for killing each other into form of art, then I have two rough ideas. 1. Arty placed on gondola that is not rigidly attached to airship. Being pendulum itself, gondola naturally converges to be directly below ship. After firing a barrage, initial recoil impulse is dampened by rocking gondola. The dirigible (especially if armored) has enough inertia and air resistance to keep stable position. With some "counterweight" tethers (either elastic or actually sophisticated counterweight system inside the balloon), gun gondola can stabilize itself. Or just these tethers hooked up to something heavy and people just pulling them and aircraft itself is stabilized by precise control of maneuver rotors.
2. If war science is advanced enough to lift these armored corns in the sky, then it is also may be advanced enough to came up with artillery system with deep recoil dampening, like long barrel back-blow, recoiless or even redirecting recoil forward with gears, gear rails, weights of equal mass and some sort of spring that reverse barrel back.
Then, don't forget, that long range arty may not be high caliber, but rather high velocity.
I can see these being used as transport or something like artillery upon civilians(dropping bombs on cities, like during the world war) but even if it was armored, would it have much use?
These Dirigibles always do look like huge targets, and the fact that if one is taken down it can pretty much caused a catastrophic loss, makes me question why anyone would ever want to make use of them at all.
I guess logically, and historically, they are pretty useless but in fantasy they are kinda cool, so maybe it’s just the concept make people interested in it.
Personally, if the science have been advance enough to create flying ships, then it would be better to just make normal flying battleships, rather than such a roundabout way of creating a floating ship, heh.
Also, it being originally a passenger ship, makes me think that hoooooo boi, that motherhumber is going to be up in flames sooner or later.