Patrie (airship)

The Lebaudy Patrie was a semi-rigid airship built for the French army in Moisson, France, by sugar producers Lebaudy Frères. Designed by Henri Julliot, Lebaudy's chief engineer, the Patrie was completed in November 1906 and handed over to the French army the following month. The Patrie bears the distinction of being the first airship built specifically for military service.

In 1907, from her base at Chalais-Meudon near Paris, a successful series of military manoeuvres was conducted with the airship by the military command, which included a visit by France's President of the Council Georges Clemenceau. Following the successful completion of these operations, in November 1907 the Patrie was transferred under her own power to her operational base at Verdun, near the German border.

On 29 November 1907, the Patrie became stranded in Souhesmes, due to a mechanical fault. The following day, a storm rolled in and the Patrie was torn loose from her makeshift moorings and, despite the efforts of some 200 soldiers who tried to restrain the airship, she was carried away by the high winds and lost from sight. Had the rope to the emergency gas-release system been attached, her loss could possibly have been avoided. After being blown across the English Channel and passing unseen over England during the night, the Patrie was sighted over Wales and Ireland on 1 December. The airship made a brief landfall near Belfast, before rising again to be blown out over the Atlantic Ocean. She was last sighted by the crew of a steamship off the Hebrides and was never seen again.

Despite the loss of the Patrie, the Lebaudy Brothers went on to complete a sister-ship, the République, for the French Army. Several airships of a similar design to the Patrie were ordered and delivered to export customers, including Russia and Austro-Hungarian Empire.