Design and Specifications
Italia was an N-class semi-rigid airship, designation N-4. In design it was almost identical to the N-1 Norge but larger in gas capacity. Little is known of airship N-2. Airship N-3 was sold to Japan and became "Naval Airship No. 6". Nobile and some of his staff traveled to Japan in 1926 or 1927 to deliver this airship. According to Italian sources, airship N-5 (which was larger and had three times the lifting capacity of N-1) was Nobile's preferred design for the Arctic expedition, but when funding was refused by the Italian government he built N-4 with the assistance of private backers and the City of Milan. In May 1928 the Italia set off for the Arctic Circle, stopping at a German airship hangar at Stolp, Pomerania, and the airship mast at Vadsø in Norway.
- First Flight: 1924
- Length: 105.4 metres/347.8 feet
- Diameter: 19.4 metres/63.9 feet
- Gas capacity: 18,500 cubic metres/654,000 cubic feet
- Performance: 112.3 km/h /70.2 mph
- Payload: 9405 kg/20,900 LB
- Power plant: 3 x Maybach 560 kW/750 hp total
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