AS Victoria

The AS Victoria is the most modern commercial airship in the world. Built by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin and nearly identical to the US Navy's zeppelin U.S.S. Los Angeles (ZR-3), it's expected to be the prototype for a new series of airships that will soon be transporting people around the world. More than twice the length of a football field and ninety feet (nearly twenty-eight meters) in diameter, the Victoria is nearly two-thirds the size of the S.S. Titanic.

Five mighty Maybach V12 Diesel engines propel the ship at an airspeed of more than fifty miles per hour (eighty kph) and give the Victoria a range of well over 5,000 miles (8,100 km), making high-speed trans-Atlantic travel a possibility. Imagine London to New York City in just over two-and-a-half days! Even Lisbon to Rio De Janeiro can be traversed in a single flight of just over ninety hours.

The Victoria and her sisters can transport ten passengers in double compartments, similar to Pullman sleeper railroad cars. Passengers are free to stretch their legs and to freshen up in a restroom fully equipped with hot water. At meal time, a galley fully equipped with modern electrical equipment allows the chef to prepare the finest cuisine in the skies.

The passengers ride in a gondola slung below the body of the airship. This also contains the vessel's bridge, navigation, and communications facilities. For the Victoria expedition, one stateroom has been set aside and equipped as a surgical suite and scientific laboratory.

The ship itself is built of shining duraluminum, strong but light. The interior structure provides rigid support for the exterior engines and control surfaces, as well as having plenty of room for the hydrogen gas bags, fuel tanks, cargo, and crew quarters.

Under the command of the legendary zeppelin commander Ernst Lehmann, the officers, cabin crew, and technicians are dedicated to ensuring a swift and safe flight.