How Massachusetts blimps created a trap that starved Nazi submarines

Navy Blimps K-123 and K-130’s Atlantic Crossing

On May 28, 1944, two Navy blimps took off from South Weymouth, Massachusetts on a bold mission. K-123 and K-130 flew first to Newfoundland, then to the Azores, and finally to Morocco.

The 3,145-mile trip took 80 hours, with the ships cruising just 500 feet above the waves. Four more blimps soon joined them.

Together, they formed the Africa Squadron, using new magnetic detection gear to hunt German U-boats at night near Gibraltar. The plan, some say from Churchill himself, worked.

The historic naval base near Plymouth still holds photos and items from this daring Atlantic crossing.

Navy Created “The Africa Squadron” to Hunt U-Boats Around the Clock

The Navy started ZP-14 on June 2, 1942, at Weeksville, North Carolina.

In 1944, they sent six K-class blimps across the Atlantic to fight German submarines near Gibraltar. PBY Catalina planes handled daytime sub hunting but couldn’t safely fly at the needed low height after dark.

Slow blimps worked perfectly for nighttime patrols.

The squadron said Winston Churchill came up with the idea to use blimps for nighttime magnetic detection, creating 24-hour submarine watching.

Goodyear Made These Flying Submarine Hunters

Goodyear built the K-class blimps in Akron, Ohio. Each one held 425,000 cubic feet of helium with a 40-foot control car underneath.

Ten crew members worked aboard: a command pilot, two co-pilots, navigator/pilot, airship rigger, ordnanceman, two mechanics, and two radiomen.

They used radar that spotted objects 90 miles away, sonobuoys, and magnetic detection gear. For weapons, they carried four depth bombs and a machine gun.

These airships flew over 24 hours without refueling.

Teams Set Up Rest Stops Across the Atlantic

Repair crews left Norfolk on the USS Rehoboth on May 17, 1944, traveling ahead of the blimps. They built service spots in the Azores and the main base in French Morocco.

The Navy sent blimps in pairs with fresh crews for each part of the journey. Flight teams for the second and third legs took transport planes to Newfoundland and the Azores.

The route went from Massachusetts to Newfoundland, then to the Azores, and finally to Morocco.

Two Blimps Left Massachusetts Under Cover of Darkness

K-123 and K-130 took off from South Weymouth at 8:00 PM on May 28, 1944. Squadron Commander Emmett Sullivan flew K-130 for this first-time flight.

The crews brought mail for their fellow squadron members, making this the first transatlantic airmail carried by blimps. The huge steel and wooden hangars at South Weymouth housed wartime blimp operations.

They left in the evening to find better weather over the North Atlantic.

First Stop: Newfoundland’s Naval Station

After flying about 16 hours, K-123 and K-130 landed at Naval Station Argentia in Newfoundland on May 29. New crews took over while the original pilots rested.

Ground teams refueled the airships and checked for problems. Argentia served as a key stopping point for many military flights crossing the Atlantic.

Mechanics looked at the helium bags and engines before letting the blimps continue. The next leg would be the longest part of the trip, taking about 22 hours.

Crossing to the Azores Marked the Halfway Point

New crews left Argentia on May 30 for the 22-hour flight to Lajes Field on Terceira Island in the Portuguese Azores. They kept the blimps around 500 feet above the ocean during the Atlantic crossing.

The Azores gave them a crucial gas stop roughly halfway between North America and North Africa. Once again, fresh crews took over while repair teams worked on the aircraft.

They now faced the final 20-hour stretch to Morocco.

The Blimps Made History Landing in Morocco

K-123 and K-130 finished their journey on June 1, 1944, landing at Craw Field in Port Lyautey, French Morocco (now called Kenitra). The entire trip covered 3,145 nautical miles in 80 hours, with 58 hours spent flying.

This marked the first time blimps had ever crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Ensigns Ireland and Kaiser stepped out of K-123 carrying the first transatlantic blimp mail.

The Navy put out official news about the historic crossing.

Six Blimps Successfully Crossed the Ocean

The second pair of blimps, K-109 and K-134, left South Weymouth on June 11 and reached Port Lyautey on June 15, 1944.

K-101 and K-112 finished the squadron move, leaving Massachusetts on June 27 and getting to Morocco on July 1, 1944. All six blimps made it safely using the northern route through Newfoundland and the Azores.

Almost a year later, K-89 and K-114 tried the southern route via Bermuda in April 1945. These eight K-ships were the only blimps that crossed the Atlantic during World War II.

The “Magnetic Fence” Blocked German Submarines

The six blimps started nighttime anti-submarine operations to work alongside daytime missions flown by PBY Catalinas and B-24 bombers.

This created a 24-hour surveillance barrier across the Strait of Gibraltar with blimps working the night shift and PBYs handling daylight hours.

This “magnetic fence” completely blocked German U-boats from using the Gibraltar Straits from June 1944 until the war ended.

The Germans had actually stopped sending submarines through the strait before the blimps arrived, with the last U-boat sinking in the area happening on May 15, 1944.

The blimps found few submarines but their constant presence kept the Germans from trying to pass through.

Blimps Spotted Mines Throughout the Mediterranean

ZP-14 helped find mines in cooperation with surface minesweeping ships across Mediterranean ports.

On November 25, 1944, one blimp spent three days mapping a safe channel through 19 mines at Bandol, France to allow war damage repairs in Toulon.

The squadron also took aerial photos and helped find missing aircraft.

The blimps worked from multiple bases including Gibraltar, France, Algeria, Tunisia, Malta, and Italy. Their ability to hover at low altitude for long periods made them perfect for precisely mapping minefields.

Churchill and Roosevelt Got a Blimp Escort

In early 1945, ZP-14 blimps escorted the convoy carrying President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

The presidential ships headed to the Yalta Conference in Crimea where Allied leaders planned what to do with Europe after the war.

The blimps provided submarine protection during the Mediterranean portion of this vital trip. The squadron kept working until the war in Europe ended, never losing a single ship under their watch.

ZP-14’s Atlantic crossing and Mediterranean service proved that blimps could handle long-range operations effectively.

Visiting Plymouth, Massachusetts

You can learn about the Navy’s first transatlantic blimp crossing at the former NAS South Weymouth base, now at 194 Memorial Grove Ave behind Union Point Sports Complex.

The small museum opens 9 AM to noon on second and last Saturdays each month with free admission.

Walk around the Union Point development to see leftover blimp hangar foundations and the huge 2,000-foot landing pad where K-class blimps launched for their historic 1944 Atlantic crossing to fight German submarines.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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