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Title details for His Majesty's Airship by S. C. Gwynne - Available

His Majesty's Airship

The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine

by S. C. Gwynne
Nicholas Boulton
Audiobook
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From historian and bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Empire of the Summer Moon comes a "captivating, thoroughly researched" (The New York Times Book Review) tale of the rise and fall of the world's largest airship—and the doomed love story between an ambitious British officer and a married Romanian princess at its heart.
The tragic fate of the British airship R101—which went down in a spectacular fireball in 1930, killing more people than died in the Hindenburg disaster seven years later—has been largely forgotten. In His Majesty's Airship, S.C. Gwynne resurrects it in vivid detail, telling the epic story of great ambition gone terribly wrong.

Airships, those airborne leviathans that occupied center stage in the world in the first half of the 20th century, were a symbol of the future. R101 was not just the largest aircraft ever to have flown and the product of the world's most advanced engineering—she was also the lynchpin of an imperial British scheme to link by air the far-flung areas of its empire, from Australia to India, South Africa, Canada, Egypt, and Singapore. No one had ever conceived of anything like this, and R101 captivated the world. There was just one problem: beyond the hype and technological wonders, these big, steel-framed, hydrogen-filled airships were a dangerously bad idea.

Gwynne's chronicle features a cast of remarkable—and tragically flawed—characters, including Lord Christopher Thomson, the man who dreamed up the Imperial Airship Scheme and then relentlessly pushed R101 to her destruction; Princess Marthe Bibesco, the celebrated writer and glamorous socialite with whom he had a long affair; and George Herbert Scott, a national hero who was the first person to cross the Atlantic twice in any aircraft, in 1919—eight years before Lindbergh's famous flight—but who devolved into drink and ruin. These historical figures—and the ship they built, flew, and crashed—come together in "a Promethean tale of unlimited ambitions and technical limitations, airy dreams and explosive endings" (The Wall Street Journal).

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 2, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781797158136
      • File size: 261841 KB
      • Duration: 09:05:30

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Nicholas Boulton's smooth narration is perfect for this well-researched historical account of the ill-fated experimental British rigid airship, the R101, and the era of lighter-than-air hydrogen-powered airships. From their origins in Germany to their peak years between WWI and II, these vessels remained in production despite known fatal limitations. With unhurried pacing and light characterizations, Boulton introduces listeners to key R101 figures, including Secretary of State for Air Lord Christopher Thomson and veteran airship aviator George Herbert Scott. Boulton's keen sense for wry humor, especially apparent when relaying footnotes, underscores the absurdity of the political and military imperatives that hastened the R101's flight to India in October 1930 without rigorous testing and adjustments. Aviation history buffs will find this a compelling production. J.R.T. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      June 10, 2024

      Nicholas Boulton deftly narrates award-winning historian Gwynne's (Hymns of the Republic) treatise on the rise and end of Great Britain's rigid-airship program. Seven years before the high-profile crash of the Hindenburg in New Jersey, the British rigid airship R101 crashed in France during its 1930 maiden voyage. More people were killed in this crash than in the Hindenburg, making it a factor that stopped the further development of airships in Great Britain. Opening with period music setting the production's tone, Boulton relates the history of rigid-aircraft development by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, including information about the explosive danger of static electricity, lessons learned from previous failures, and hopes for their future. Also included is a memorable cast of characters who were part of the rivalry between the UK and Germany as both countries raced to develop airship programs. Boulton adds a flair for drama in his delivery of nuanced quotations from heavy-drinking commander Herbert "Lucky Breeze" Scott, lovestruck Lord Christopher Thomson, and Thomson's paramour, a French Romanian princess. He is particularly dramatic and passionate when detailing the disastrous flight, contrasting with his clinical evaluation of lessons learned. VERDICT Aviation history buffs will find this an incredible dip into the history of airships.--Stephanie Bange

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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