Identification help please. Possible Airship/Zeppelin Generator Propeller

[eagle770]

My wife recently bought this propeller. We have been led to believe that it is a generator propeller from and airship/zeppelin since it originally came from an auction involving 15 tons of Airship/Zeppelin parts!

The propeller has a total length of 36.2 inches and a depth of 1.7 inches (4.5cm).
The hub's bolt holes have a diameter of 0.5 inches (1.25cm).
The hub has 8 bolts.
The central spindle hole has a diameter of 3 inches (7.5cm).
The rounded sides of the hub are stamped 'G 681 N 75' and 'G 681 N 75'.
The front of the flat side of the hub has the number 'No. 1883' stamped near the spindle hole.

The rear of the propeller is flat and may have been cut to allow it to be hung on a wall. I am also concerned that it may have been cut down for wall display.

Any information will be appreciated. It is not to the standard of my other propellers but is a bit of fun.

[Dave]

The "G" and "N" stampings are very typical of British propellers, not German, and indicate production sequences.

It could be almost anything, I think, but I would put Zeppelin way down the list.

[eagle770]

Thanks Dave, I had my doubts. Do you know the significance of the G and N markings?

[Dave]

I don't, but they are "serial" in nature and Bob Gardner can usually date the propeller by reference to them.

[simonfan]

Prop ID

The prop is a cut down full size prop. They were cut down in the 1920's to make clothes hanging rails for coats and hats. You will notice the holes in the blades for the hooks. For your info there was a childrens programme called 'Aunt Mable' or 'Come Outside' that featured one, with its hooks still present and in use. I used to have one that came from a DH4.
yours,

Simon

[eagle770]

Thank you Simon, that ties in with my impressions. Maybe if Bob is around sometime he may help with more information on origin.

[Bob Gardner]

Eagle,

Your prop is more interesting than an aux or generator prop.

The batch no (the G no) dates it to late 1917. The prop batches were all of 100 props. Often several batches were ordered together for the same prop, although not always so. The next batch was for an OX2 engine used for various RNAS aircraft but most often for the DH6. This ac was designed as a stable trainer but proved to be far too stable. It was difficult to persuade it from straight and level flight and hence was of no use as a trainer. British Government inflexibility had ordered a large batch which were quickly withdrawn whereupon the German U Boats, in 1917, began to blockade Britain with considerable success. The stability of the DH6 made it the first all-weather ASW aircraft. RN and USN bases were set up along the entire British coast. Hitherto redundant DH6's were converted to single seaters and given bomb racks and became a substantial deterent.

As an afterthought, although I know little about German airships, I am under the impression that their slow airspeed obviated the use of generator props out in the airstream and that they had generators, fuel and oil pumps mounted on their engines, which were, of course, attended by mechanics during flight.

A few years ago someone on eBay decided that the three-foot four-bladed prop he had found was a Zeppelin Generator prop. It wasn't. It was a WW2 aux prop from a British target tug aircraft, and when deployed into the airstream developed the power necessary to winch a thousand feet of cable and target drogue behind the aircraft. Every other WW2 target tug aux prop sold since has also been described as from a Zeppelin.

With kind regards,

Bob

[eagle770]

Thank you very much Bob and the others who have repsonded. With no other markings I don't think we can go any further.

Best Regards

Joe

[Dave]

Thank you very much Bob and the others who have repsonded. With no other markings I don't think we can go any further.

Best Regards

Joe

Don't feel bad. It's not unusual.

[eagle770]

Hi Dave,

Far from feeling bad I am very happy with the information, as always, received from this site. It confirmed my observations. But I won't tell my wife

Joe