In this article, we will answer key questions such as what is a steampunk airship, where do they come from, and what is their place in the Steampunk Universe. and the most famous in the world.
They will be updated and improved periodically, please be indulgent on the little developed content which will be gradually increased in illustrations and ideas.
Key points
🚀 Steampunk Aesthetics : Steampunk airships are retro-futuristic flying machines based on steam technology.
🎈 Hot air balloons : The first attempts at flight, popularized by the Montgolfier brothers in 1783, used hot air balloons.
🔥 Gas Dangers : Balloons using flammable gases like hydrogen and methane have posed safety concerns.
✈️ Airships : Henri Giffard created the first steam-powered airship in 1852, followed by other innovations.
🎮 Video Games : Games like “Guns Of Icarus Online” and “ARK: Survival Evolved” feature steampunk airships.
🃏 Board Games : “Dastardly Dirigibles” and “Zephyr: Winds of Change” incorporate steampunk airships into their game mechanics.
🎬 Movies and TV Shows : Steampunk airships appear in works like "Airlords of Airia".
🏛️ Exhibits : Hamilton Gardens and other museums have steampunk airships on display.
💡 Historical Innovations : The first regular flights of reliable airships took place from 1884.
🛠️ DIY and Community Projects : The Airpusher project enabled the creation of a steampunk airship for the Burning Man festival.
Read on to learn more.
Steampunk and science fiction airship
Steampunk-aesthetic airships are often referred to as "lighter-than-air" aircraft. Basically, they are man's first creations in a race to dominate the air during the post-Victorian period.
They are often separated into non-rigid, semi-rigid and rigid aircraft. But we prefer to speak in other terms.
According to steampunk and aircraft experts, steampunk flying devices can be classified into three groups.
Steampunk Hot Air Balloons
Steampunk hot air balloons are the first attempts of people to travel in the air. Hot air balloons were created by the Montgolfier brothers in 1783. They realized that the difference between air temperatures could be used so that this force could lift a tiny basket.
Right after this invention, the discovery of certain gases like methane, helium and hydrogen allowed the creation of balloons that were lighter than air balloons. As you may have guessed, this type of balloons has an additional problem: These gases are flammable.
Balloons have a special problem regarding control. They are lifted into the air, but there is no way of knowing where you will land. Once in the air, it depends exclusively on the direction of the wind.
This is one of the main reasons why hot air balloons are not as popular as one might have imagined in steampunk culture.
Steampunk hot air balloons are found in Jules Verne's "Voyage Extraordinaire", published in 1863. It is also mentioned in H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine", as one of the inventions that could be used to travel through time.
For this reason, we believe that there are not as many steampunk hot air balloons as we would like in steampunk literature.
Retro futuristic airships
But as for airships, as we know, it was not until 1852 that a test project was created. Studied by a famous engine engineer (steam of course) of the time, Henri Giffard designed a 44 meter airship that was propelled by a 3 horsepower steam engine.
Surprisingly, this was the first post-Victorian aircraft project. And the fact is that this aircraft was not easily steerable in the sky. Again, some hazards prevented this airship from becoming one of the major technologies of the 19th century.
Nevertheless, this airship was the trigger for the imagination of many authors. Now that they had seen it, it was another element to be used in many forms for their steampunk novels.
Additionally, there was another attempt at a dirigible in 1863 created in New Jersey by Solomon Andrews. This man took the previous idea of hot air balloons that we were talking about and created a system to be able to steer them through the air.
What is interesting about this story is that this airship actually worked on its first flight. But for unknown reasons, he dismantled his creation on his first voyage.
It was not until 1884 that the first reliable airship flew regularly in the sky. Charles Renaud and Arthur Krebs piloted a 2-ton, 50-meter-long electric plane.
Further developments in France allowed Alberto Santos Dumont to cruise the French skies with his aircraft #6. This time it was a 1-ton aircraft, 33 metres long. A little lighter than its ancestors.
Now, if we could go back to Paris in 1900, we would have had a glimpse of what a true post-Victorian period would have been like. Steampunk's roots are based on descriptions of this period.
Unfortunately, the catastrophe that was World War I put a stop to what could have been a true steampunk period in history.
Steampunk Zeppelin
The craft called Zeppelins are named after their creator, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, a wealthy retired military officer from Bavaria.
Von Zeppelin was then considered a hero for a mission he had accomplished during the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. He retired as a lieutenant general early in his career. It was for this reason that he began to design his own aircraft.
He realized that the technological developments regarding aircraft were focused on building small airships. He realized that by using the square cube law, he could create a much larger airship that could fly efficiently in the sky.
This is why he began creating his personal aircraft: The Zeppelin. His initial creation, LZ1, was 400 feet long and contained 400,000 cubic feet of hydrogen gas in its main chamber.
This design was refined with the LZ2 and LZ3 zeppelins, which could hold more passengers inside.
Zeppelins were an exceptional development at the time. It was a technology that was perfected over the next 40 years. It was not until after World War II that aircraft development surpassed zeppelin technology.
Steampunk airships and zeppelins can be found in various novels. Homunculus, by Jaime Blaylock and Infernal Devices by K.W. Jeter, both include a steampunk airship in their plot. But the steampunk novel best known for its airships is Oswald Bastable by Michael Moorcock.
Blimp in games
There are several games where you can find steampunk airships.
Airships in video games.
ICARUS ONLINE
One of the most famous is "Guns Of Icarus Online". In Guns of Icarus Online, you will sail through the skies with your steampunk crew inside a massive steampunk airship.
This steampunk plane looks like a large sea ship built of wood, brass and iron. They are usually powered by steam technology with a huge engine room. It is a war game where you will come across other teams in the sky. Try to destroy your enemies in order to keep it! Because if you don't, you will sink with your team.
Not only is it a fun game, but it also requires a lot of interaction with the players on your team, an escape room and a group logic game. It is a game where coordination and individual skills determine who will be the winner.
STEAMPUNK MOD IN ARK
Yes, there is a steampunk mod in ARK where you will find steampunk airships. You will also find steampunk submarines. These upgrades allow for crazy raids and battles.
The steampunk mod for ARK is only available for PC players. Sorry console players.
There are some users who have claimed that this Steampunk mod can become slow and buggy. For all we know, this could be coming from individual servers rather than a global issue. It should be considered on a case-by-case basis. Many steampunk airships await you!
STEAMPUNK SKYSHIP AND AIRSHIP COMMANDER
There are some steampunk VR games with steampunk airships that are pretty cool. They are available on Oculus Rift and HTC vibe.
Steampunk Skyship, which is more of a University of Texas project than a video game, where you are in a steampunk airship. You can explore it and move around with a keyboard.
Airship Commander is a steampunk airship combat simulator.
STEAMPUNK AIRSHIPS IN BOARD GAMES
IGNOBLES AIRSHIPS
Dastardly Dirigibles is a 2-5 player steampunk board game about building a steampunk airship and racing to the end. It's a fun game to play with the family.
It's easy for young kids to understand, but it has some strategy in its design. This means you can get quite competitive with your friends if you want.
ZEPHYR: A WIND OF CHANGE
Zephyr: Winds of Change is also a 1-4 player steampunk board game where you play as an airship captain. You will be able to upgrade your steampunk aircraft and hire crew members throughout the game.
Your main goal will be to complete the main mission which is chosen before starting the game according to your needs. Whoever arrives first wins the game. This game is still in kickstarter.
LEVIATHANS
Leviathans is also a steampunk board game that features airship battles. It is a 2+ board game recommended for players. The game contains 8 exquisite steampunk airship miniatures that have been precisely crafted.
Leviathans is a turn-based game that resembles the board game Battleships Galaxies in some ways. The game ends when one player eliminates the other.
Other than that, the game is a complete immersive steampunk experience. It comes with two novels, posters, twelve reconnaissance cards that tell the story of each airship, and twelve dice.
STEAMPUNK AIRSHIPS IN MOVIES AND SERIES
This is also an interesting topic because what we found here is not common. There are two main movies that are focused or contain mainly steampunk airships in their plot.
The Adventures of the Steampunk Airship Kiljaik is an independent series that was released on December 18, 2018. The idea behind the plot is that of a steampunk city invaded by a diesel-punk civilization. We will have to wait a few months before knowing the evolution of this series and its interaction with the steampunk airship Kiljaik.
Airlords of Airia is a German steampunk science fiction short film developed by Steam Fiction Film. It is a 13-minute crowdfunded film that tells the story of Airlord Karak, a war hero and admiral of the Aira fleet, who wants to take over the republic through the power he receives from a discovery he makes.
It's a lot of fun to watch. The atmosphere is appropriately designed and steampunk. The actors are German, so you'll find that the translations aren't as good as you'd like.
STEAMPUNK AIRSHIPS IN EXHIBITIONS
There are some that can be visited in museums around the world.
STEAMPUNK AIRSHIP IN HAMILTON GARDENS
Hamilton Gardens is a 54-acre area administered by the Hamilton City Council. Hamilton in New Zealand. It was designed as a public green space for citizens. Over time, Hamilton Gardens has developed specific subsections that address particular issues.
Actually, there are 23 specific gardens that cover different topics. There is one specific garden called "concept garden" that keeps this Steampunk airship for the exhibition.
The Huddleston Airship is the newest piece of equipment to be found in the concept garden. The garden opened on February 1, 2018. People are invited to view this steampunk work of art throughout the year.
AIRPUSHER STEAMPUNK AIRSHIP
The Airpusher steampunk airship was a zeppelin project that was funded by IndieGoGo in 2013. It was built by Edmundo Landgraf. The idea behind this project was to introduce steampunk and this zeppelin in the famous Burning Man convention in Black Rock City, Nevada. The project was so successful that they created a 2.0 campaign in IndieGoGo for 2014.
STEAMPUNK AIRSHIP AT STEAMPUNK HQ
If there is one place in the world that must have a steampunk airship, it is Steampunk HQ. Our amazing Steampunk Museum delights us with this wonderful Steampunk Airship sculpture that can be found outside the museum.
Covered in a gray tone, suspended from a few copper pillars, this shark-shaped zeppelin is a must-see if you're visiting this steampunk museum soon.
Throughout this article, we have reviewed everything related to steampunk airships. In addition, we will regularly integrate new ideas, do not hesitate to suggest them to us. If you find that there is something that we have missed in this post, do not hesitate to comment on Facebook.
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See you soon, vaporist, for another article in the exciting world of Steampunk!