Airship docking masts

[puddingwrestler]

Hello chaps!
Looking for information on airship docking masts. Specifically, how the airship actually docks to the mast. I've found a few diagrams online, but they're not very big and not very clear. This is for a terrain project, so I am willing to bodge it, but I want something fairly realistic.

[scooter]

Take a look at Lakehurst NAS.  They've got plenty of airship information, and as a point of contact may have further information you're looking for.

[jcf]

LZ-130 nosecap and mooring mast socket.

[kerick]

That was designed in the days of slide rules and drafting pencils! And the whole ship was like that.

[rickshaw]

Basically it was a "ball" and "socket" type system.  The socket was on the mast, the "ball" on the nose of the airship.  The socket could rotate 360 degrees and also had a certain degree of vertical movement.  There were various methods, usually involving cables to bring the two into contact (no, they didn't expect the airship to "fly" into the socket!  ).  The nose of the airship had to be reinforced to accept the mooring loads.   Basically the system allowed the airship to "weathercock" with the winds and to fly downstream from the mast when moored.   Some airships also used a similar system for the stern.  When coupled between the masts, it was then possible to move them into and out of their sheds much more safely, than the traditional system using several hundreds, even thousands of ground crew.

[pyro-manic]

There's a paper model of a 1:700 mast here, if that's any use? Lots of other goodies too.

http://www.currell.net/models/mod_free.htm#mast

[PR19_Kit]

Might be worth a look here :-

http://www.airshipsonline.com/index.html

I've got some copies of 'Dirigible', the Airship Heritage Trust's magazine, that may have something worth loking at, I'll try and dig them out.

[Caveman]

You dont happen to have anything on SSZs in them do you? 

[PR19_Kit]

Afraid not, my main interest was in the R100 itself so most of my copies concern her rather than the earlier non-rigids. It may be worthwhile contacting the Trust themselves and see if they have some stuff on the SSZ ships?