THE BUILDING SCHEDULE OF HIS MAJESTY'S AIRSHIP No.23
1916
Jan. 1.	Whole of duralumin for parallel portion ordered. General design of ship still under consideration by the Admiralty
Jan. 8	Total number of hands on Vicker's book, 86.
Jan.15.	Fabric not yet ordered.
Jan.29.	12,000 bracing pieces ready. Large quantity of angle and channel in store.
Feb. 19.	Erection of girders commenced.
Mar. 4.	All duralumin for hull ordered, also diagonal wires for parallel part. Rapid progress being made in assembling girders.
Mar. 18.	Erection of cradles in Walney shed commenced. 200 ft. lengths of girder completed and passed.
Mar.25.	Girders being assembled at rate of 100 lengths per week.
Apr. 1.	300 ft. lengths of girder examined and passed.
Apr. 8.	Difficulty experienced with main joint pressings.
Apr. 22.	Stiffening of 8-way junction pieces settled.
Apr. 29.	50 per cent of girders completed.
May 6.	Cradles ready for erection of bow portion.
May 27.	Erection of frame section 1-2 commenced. Awaiting wires and fittings from Messrs. Bruntons.
June 3	Over 1,000 girder lengths passed.
June 10	Erection delayed by non-delivery of wires and fittings from Messrs. Bruntons.,
June 17.	Girders and joints for first six complete frames ready. Erection still delayed as above.
June 24.	First section (1-2) almost complete in tower.
July 1.	First section (1-2) almost complete in tower.
July 8.	Section 1-2 complete. Construction of substructure of forward and after cars commenced. Overseers state expected date of completion August 21, 1916
July 15.	50 per cent of fabric for gasbags and outer cover being proofed.
July 22.	Frame section 3-4 complete. Engines allocated.
July 29.	Frame section 5-6 complete. All duralumin tubes for keel complete. Transmission gear being manufactured by Messrs. Wolseley.
Aug. 5.	Frame section 7-8 complete. Sections 3-4 and 4-5 being joined up. Gasbags, fabric work 50 per cent complete
Aug. 12.	Frame section 9-10 complete. Vickers' date for completion, November 18, 1916. Delay attributed to machinery .
Aug. 19	Frame section 11-12 complete. Men taken off NO.23 to hasten completion of No.9.
Aug. 26	First delivery of net cord. No work on erection of NO.23 at Walney.
Sept. 9	Erection of NO.23 resumed at Walney. Keel, gondolas, fins, rudders and elevators, nets, gasbags and outer cover-work proceeding.
Sept. 16	Frame Section 13-14 complete. 4° sections of nets completed.
Sept. 23	Frame section 15-16 complete. Gasbags : fabric work complete. Other work 25 per cent complete
	Work's holiday. No erection at Walney. Girder fabric covering strips 25 per cent finished.
Oct. 7.	Framework girders complete.
Oct. 14.	Four sections of framework joined up. Gas valves: first spinnings received.
Oct. 28.	Gasbags Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 complete, except valve petticoats. Nets finished.
Nov. 4.	Parallel portion of hull framework (3-10) complete. Outer cover sections II and 12 forwarded to Barrow for test. Wolseley's state first set of machinery will be ready by middle of December, 1916.
Nov. 11.	No erection on NO.23 at Walney. Men employed on No.9. Outer cover section tested on framework. Set of spinnings for automatic gas-valves received.
NOV.25	Framework section 17-18 complete. Bow end and tail end being erected. Work on No.9 delaying erection of NO.23. Assembling of keel transverse frames commenced. Girder covering strips complete. Vickers' date of completion now February I, 1917.
Dec. 2	All wires and fittings for main framework in Vickers' hands.
Dec. 9	Nets being placed in ship. First engine carried out trial at makers' works. Propellers received. Frame sections 3-15 joined up complete with wiring.
Dec. 16	12 petrol tanks completed.
Dec. 23.	Hull practically complete. Keel well forward. Cars progressing satisfactorily. Preparations being made for slinging hull.
1917
Jan. 6	One automatic gas-valve assembled complete.
Jan. 13	Gasbag test carried out in ship January 9, 1917. One transverse frame buckled. Three keel covers complete. Additional stiffening to frame 3 in way of gun platform being fitted. Details of engine seatings in cars being replaced.
Jan. 20	Delay to keel being caused by non-delivery of steel tubes from Messrs. Tubes, Ltd.
Jan.27	Gasbag test on January 25, 1917. Steel tubes for keel delivered. Electrical installation unsettled.
Feb. 10	Hull framework completed and passed byoverseers. Keel being re-shuffled on account of heavier gun platform to carry 2-pounder gun being required. Gasbags to be enlarged as result of gasbag test.
Feb. 17	Hull framework lifted on February 14th. Complete set of machinery expected by end of March. Vickers' date for completion now end of April, 1917. Feb. 24. Attachment to keel to ship commenced. One engine in position in forward car . Fins completed ready for fabric covering. Full set of petrol tanks received. Full set of propellers received. Controls commenced.
Mar. 3	90 foot of keel erected on ship. Rudders and elevators complete ready for fabric covering. Gasbags being enlarged. Steel tubes for keel still required. All details making progress. Date of completion postponed to second week in May on account of non-delivery of steel tubes.
Mar. 17.	Keel delayed by non-delivery of steel tubes. After car engine in place. Forward car ready to go to Walney.
Mar.24.	Engineers went on strike March 21, 1917. Bags Nos. I, 2, 3, 10, II, 12, 14, 16, 17, and 18 completed and dispatched from Douglas.
Mar.31.	Work at a standstill owing to engineers' strike. Apr. 7. Work at a standstill owing to engineers' strike. Vickers' date for completion now first week in June, 1917.
Apr. 14.	Work resumed. 50 keel frames erected on ship. Horizontal and upper fIns: covers fitted. Rudder and elevator planes: covers fitted. Steel tubes now all received.
Apr.28.	Overseers' report progress unsatisfactory owing to difficulty in obtaining satisfactory castings and forgings for rudder and elevator control gear. Date now postponed to second week in June.
May 5.	After car transferred to Walney, May 2nd.
May 12	All keel frames erected in position. Midships car transferred to Walney, May Ilth.
May 19	End fittings to steel keel tubes found to require modification. First top gas-valve completed. Engines fitted up in midships car .
May 26.	Engineers' strike, May 19th-May 24th
June 9.	Modifications to keel complete. Keel being tuned up. Details proceeding satisfactorily. Date now given, June 30th.
June 16.	Installing keel, walking-way, petrol and water ballast girders. 12 gasbags in ship and partially inflated. 8 sections of outer cover in position. Preliminary run of forward car machinery, June 10th.
June 23.	Overseers dissatisfied with progress. Controls behind-hand. Date postponed to July 14, 1917.
June 30.	Ball bearing for control pulleys not delivered. All bags in ship.' All outer cover sections in place. Petrol tanks being fitted.
July 7	Petrol service being fitted, also water and lubricating services. Controls and telegraphs being fitted.
July 14.	Additional stiffening being fitted to stern of ship. (Addi- tional cruciform girder at Frame 19.)
July 21.	Ship lifted by gas in bags on June 20th, ready for cars to be suspended underneath. All bags inflated to 65 per cent. Outer cover sheets laced down to E girder.
July 28.	Controls and electrical installation well in hand. Preliminary machinery test in aft car July 29th.
Aug. 3.	Airborne shed machinery trial, July 31, 1917, Works closed August 3 to 13, 1917, for holiday. Date given for flight trials, August 19, 1917.
Aug. 18.	Loading of elevators and horizontal fins carried out on I 7th, 18th, and 19th. Aug. 25. Rudder, elevator, ballast, and gas-valve controls giving trouble
Aug. 26.	LIFT AND TRIM TEST.
Sept. I.	Testing of gas-valves complete, August 28th. Testing of petrol system complete, August 28th. Gas-valve, water ballast, and trail rope release controls completed, August 29th. Engine-room telegraphs, August 3lst.
Sept. 8	Ship ready for flight trials, September 3, 1917. Failure of midship propeller bracket supports on September 4th.
Sept. 15	New bracket supports fitted. Ship ready for flight.
Sept. 19.	TRIAL FLIGHT.