Air Classics - Where History Flies! - August 2022

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during WWII but the Vadso mast still

stands today as a historical monument.

During the winter of 1926/27, a

large temporary hangar and mast were

constructed at Spitsbergen. The hangar

required considerable amounts of

concrete for the base and huge amounts

of wood and fabric for the construction

(the hangar collapsed in the early 1930s

and much of the wood was used in local

coal mines). On 9 March 1926, a mooring

mast arrived from Italy that weighed

also scheduled to begin at Kings

Bay as had the ill-fated flight of the

Dorniers. However, the Norge would

first have to get from Italy to Norway

and this could not be done non-stop. It

was necessary to have mooring masts

at strategic locations but these were

few and far between. In fact, the only

suitable masts were at Royal Naval

Air Station Pulham near London with

another outside Leningrad. Obviously not

enough, new masts had to be erected at

Ekeberg in Oslo and Vadso in northern

Norway. The Ekeberg mast was removed

buy it back after the flight for $48,000,
provided the airship was still in good
condition. However, many modifications
had to be done before the transfer of
ownership. The original main gondola
had been built and furnished in a lavish
style with a captain’s cabin, bedroom, and
lounge fitted with armchairs. As much
weight as possible had to be eliminated
and a smaller, lighter, and simpler
gondola was designed and built.
Ownership transfer took place on
29 March 1926 and this was done in the
huge airship hangar at Ciampino airfield
near Rome. The Norwegian Aviation
Society had been formed to become
the owner of the airship while covering
all expenses above what Ellsworth
would contribute. This included cost of
transporting materials to Norway and
erecting a large hangar and mooring
mast. Benito Mussolini, then Italy’s prime
minister, viewed the flight as tremendous
publicity for the rising fascist state and
during the ceremony the name was
changed from N.1 to Norge (Norway)
but the N.1 designation was left on the
airship.
The Norge was just over 347 feet long
with a diameter of 85 feet four inches,
and could carry a 20,900-pound payload
with its 670,000 cubic feet of hydrogen.
Power came from three Maybach Mb.IV
six-cylinder inline piston engines that
produced 260-hp each for a maximum
speed of 71-mph.
The start of the Norge expedition was

A dour Mussolini (center, in suit) at the dedication of the Norge. As time went by,
the Italian dictator felt Nobile was not fascist enough for his liking and made life very
difficult for the airship designer.

Airship designer Umberto Nobile with his pet dog

Titin that accompanied him on most of his flights.

The flight from Italy to Norway was in itself remarkable and gained international

publicity for both Amundsen and the Italians. Mussolini’s propaganda machine

attempted to make the voyage a triumph of fascist principles. The logistics for the

mission to the North Pole were daunting and included the construction of two mooring

masts and a large hangar in which to accommodate the airship. The hangar at Kings

Bay was photographed under construction.