Scope and Content Note
The papers of Charles W. Sirch span the years 1878-1935 and contain correspondence, blueprints and drawings, and printed matter documenting Sirch's contributions to airship design and the role of lighter-than-air technology in the evolution of naval aviation. Sirch was an early airship developer whose correspondence regarding his design proposal for a military dirigible with Washington Irving Chambers constitutes the most significant part of this small collection. Sirch and Chambers, a pioneer in naval aviation whose personal papers are also included among the holdings of the Naval Historical Foundation collections in the Library of Congress, correspond about the technical aspects, financial restrictions, and patent considerations surrounding the construction of the dirigible as an experimental airship for research purposes.