Amapa, Brazil
Active: 1941-1946
Used by: ZP-41
Wikipedia: South Atlantic air ferry route in WWII

During World War II, the Nazi and Japanese submarine threat was countered by U.S. Navy patrols using fixed-wing aircraft and blimps. The fixed-wing aircraft were the PBY Catalina and PB4Y Privateer.
This page focuses on the blimps used by the U.S. Navy. The Navy referred to them as lighter-than-air (LTA) aircraft.
The map below shows the locations of the LTA bases. The patrol regions included the coasts of the United States, the Atlantic coast of South America, the Panama Canal Zone, and the western end of the Mediterranean Sea.
Click the markers for a popup information window that gives its name and location. Below the map are more detailed descriptions of these LTA bases.
The Full Screen control in the upper righthand corner of the Google Maps display expands the display to cover the entire computer screen. This full-screen feature is not available on Apple IOS devices like the iPad.
You can exit out of full screen by pressing the Escape key or clicking the control in the upper righthand corner of the display.
The Map/Satellite control in the upper lefthand corner of the screen lets you choose either the normal map view or the satellite view. The satellite view allows you to see the actual military facility when you zoom in. You can choose to turn Labels on or off. The labels are the names of places, businesses, cities, etc. that appear on the map. You can turn off the labels if they obstruct your view.
When you select the Map view, you can turn on terrain features by clicking or touching the Terrain box. This will show things like mountain ranges, similar to looking at a relief map.
You can zoom in and out in a few ways. The lower righthand corner of the Google Maps display has a plus sign and a minus sign that controls zooming. If you're using a mouse with a scroll wheel, the wheel controls zooming. If you're using an IOS device like an iPhone or iPad, double-tapping the display zooms in but tapping does not zoom out.
Most touch screen devices will zoom by pinching the display with two fingers.
The bases are listed in the table below. The names of the bases and places are what we think their names were at the time or what the Navy used. Some places have different names today.
Used by: ZP-41
Wikipedia: South Atlantic air ferry route in WWII
Used by: ZP-15 ZP-21
Used by: ZP-51
Wikipedia: South Atlantic Wing, Air Transport Command
Link: Today's commercial airport
The airfield served to protect against German U-boats, it was part of the Southern Route for ferrying aircraft to the European theater, and to protect the area's bauxite mines from attack. Bauxite is the raw material for aluminum that was needed for the war effort.Used by: ZP-14
Wikipedia: Cannes – Mandelieu Airport
several photos of ZP-14 blimps on WikipediaUsed by:
Wikipedia: Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport
Used by: ZP-23
Used by: ZP-14
Used by: ZP-14
Used by: ZP-31
includes Point ArguelloUsed by: ZP-14
Used by: ZP-42
Used by: ZP-21
Used by: ZP-41 ZP-42
Wikipedia: Pinto Martins Fortaleza Intl Airport
Used by: ZP-15
Used by: ZP-12
Link: Blimps on Fishers during World War II
Used by: ZP-31
Used by: ZP-42
Wikipedia: Fernando de Noronha Airport
This is not a misplaced marker in the ocean.Used by: NA
Used by: ZP-42
Wikipedia: Recife/Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre Intl Airport
Used by:
Used by:
Link: The History of Kindley Air Force Base
Used by: ZP-21 ZP-23
Wikipedia: La Chorrera Army Airfield
Used two portable stick mooring masts.Used by: ZP-14
Wikipedia: Ahmed Ben Bella Airport
Wikipedia: Oran Es Senia Airport
Used by:
Used by: ZP-14
Wikipedia: Venice-Lido Airport
Used by: ZP-14 ZP-15
Used by:
Used a portable mooring mast. In operation from February to September.Used by: ZP-41 ZP-42
Wikipedia: Marechal Cunha Machado Intl Airport
Link: World War II: Civilian Airports Adapted for Military Use
Used by: ZP-31 ZP-32
Wikipedia: Moffett Federal Airfield
Used by: ZP-11
Used by:
Wikipedia: North Sydney, Nova Scotia
While NAS North Sydney was intended to operate dirigible airships, these never arrived before the war endedUsed by: ZP-24
Superfund siteUsed by: ZP-32 ZP-33
Used by: ZP-32
Used by: ZP-41 ZP-42
Used by: ZP-21 ZP-41
Used by: ZP-21 ZP-41
Wikipedia: Patrick Space Force Base
Used by: ZP-12
Wikipedia: Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum
Renamed Naval Air Station Wildwood in June 1943Used by: ZP-14
Wikipedia: Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City
Used by: ZP-12 ZP-15 ZP-21
Wikipedia: Naval Air Station Glynco
Used by: ZP-22 ZP-23 ZP-24
Wikipedia: Naval Air Station Hitchcock
Used by: ZP-21 ZP-22 ZP-23
Wikipedia: Naval Air Station Houma
Used by: ZP-21 ZX-11
Wikipedia: Naval Air Station Key West
Used by: ZP-12 ZP-41 ZP-42 ZP-52
Wikipedia: Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst
Used by: ZP-14
Wikipedia: Naval Air Station Port Lyautey
Used by: ZP-21 ZP-42
Wikipedia: Naval Air Station Richmond
Used by: ZP-21 ZP-41 ZP-51
Link: Railroads of Puerto Rico
Used by: ZP-1 ZP-31 ZP-32
Wikipedia: Marine Corps Air Station Tustin
Used by: ZJ-1 ZP-11 ZP-12
Wikipedia: Naval Air Station South Weymouth
Superfund siteUsed by: ZP-32 ZP-33
Wikipedia: Naval Air Station Tillamook
ZP-33 consisted of 8 K-shipsUsed by: ZP-33
Used by: ZP-41 ZP-51
Wikipedia: Naval Base Trinidad
Wikipedia: Carlsen Air Force Base
Wikipedia: Destroyers-for-Bases
Used by: ZP-1 ZP-12 ZP-14 ZP-24
Wikipedia: Naval Air Station Weeksville
Used by: ZP-31
Used by: ZP-33
Link: World War II: Civilian Airports Adapted for Military Use
The first blimp (coming from NAS Tillamook) landed at NAAS Shelton in November 1944.Used by: ZP-33
Used by:
P-38 Lightnings, PBY Catalina, and PBY2 Coronado aircraft were stationed there.Used by: ZJ-1 ZP-12
ZJ-1 Detachment One operated hereUsed by: ZP-14
Wikipedia: Naval Station Argentia
Used by: ZP-21 ZP-41 ZP-51
Wikipedia: Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Used by: ZP-15
Wikipedia: Naval Support Activity Charleston
Used by:
Wikipedia: Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division
SuperfundUsed by: ZP-14
Wikipedia: Pisa International Airport
P-47 Thunderbolts were flown from this field.Used by: ZP-33
Link: World War II: Civilian Airports Adapted for Military Use
Used by: ZP-14
Wikipedia: Military history of Gibraltar during World War II
RAF Gibralta was a British base but in July 1942, Churchill placed Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower in charge of Gibralta's military.Used by: ZP-14
Unsure of exact location.Used by: ZP-3?
Wikipedia: Roosevelt Roads Naval Station
Used by: ZP-31
Used by: ZP-42
Wikipedia: Santa Cruz Air Force Base
Used by: ZP-21
Used by: ZP42
Used by: ZP-23
Destroyers for Bases AgreementUsed by:
Wikipedia: Johan Adolf Pengel Intl Airport
ZJ | Airship Utility Squadron |
ZP | Airship Patrol Squadron |
ZW | Airship Airborne Early Warning Squadron |
ZX | Airship Development Squadron |
Type | Length | Diameter |
---|---|---|
G-class | 186.6 | 42 |
K-class | 253 | 57 |
L-class | 147.5 | 39.8 |
M-class | 302 | 69.5 |
N-class | 343 | 76 |
G-class blimps | 7 |
K-class blimps | 133 |
L-class blimps | 10 |
M-class blimps | 4 |
N-class blimps | 1 |
The following list of airship assignments has lots of holes. If you can help fill in the squadron assignments, please let us know.
Squadron | Airships |
---|---|
ZJ-1 | G‑7 G‑8 K‑28 |
ZP-1 (ZP‑31) | |
ZP-2 (ZP‑12) | |
ZP-3 | |
ZP-4 | |
ZP-11 | G‑7 K‑3 K‑4 K‑5 K‑6 K‑8 K‑9 K‑10 K‑11 K‑12 K‑14 K‑15 K‑19 K‑25 K‑27 K‑34 K‑38 K‑42 K‑50 K‑69 K‑82 K‑92 K‑100 K‑125 L‑1 |
ZP-12 | K‑16 K‑58 K‑64 |
ZP-14 | K‑8 K‑9 K‑10 K‑89 K‑123 K‑101 K‑109 K‑112 K‑114 K‑123 K‑130 K‑134 |
ZP-15 | |
ZP-21 | K‑18 K‑19 K‑52 K‑74 M‑2 M‑3 M‑4 |
ZP-22 | |
ZP-23 | K‑62 |
ZP-24 | |
ZP-30 | |
ZP-31 | K‑22 |
ZP-32 | K‑20 K‑21 K‑22 K‑75 K‑107 L‑4 L‑6 L‑8 TC‑13 TC‑14 |
ZP-33 | K‑31 K‑87 K‑97 |
ZP‑41 (ZP‑52) | K-52 K‑84 K‑88 K‑90 |
ZP-42 | K-36 K‑52 K‑73 K‑84 K‑88 K‑90 K‑98 K‑106 K‑108 K‑110 K‑114 K‑117 K‑118 K‑125 K‑128 K‑131 K‑132 |
ZP-51 | K‑16 K‑17 K‑24 K‑32 K‑68 K‑74 K‑94 K‑100 K‑108 K‑124 |
ZP‑52 (ZP‑41) | |
ZW-1 | |
ZW-11 | |
ZX-11 | ZPG-1 ZPG-2 ZPG-2W |
Check out Don Kaiser's Airship Squadron pages for lots of photos.
Some of the information on this page was obtained from American Airship Bases & Facilities by James R. Shock
Published in 1987 by the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air Warfare) and the Commander, Naval Air Systems Command, Washington, D.C