The Ranken dart consisted of a tinplate tube 23cm long, with a cast iron pointed nose at one end, and a plug and three spring loaded arms at the other. The arms were kept closed in storage by means of a cap, either tin or rubber, which acted as a buffer when the dart was in its dropping tube. When released, the arms opened up and locked in place to act as a grapnel, thus ensuring that the body entered the fabric. The Dart contained high explosive, black powder and phosphorus which were ignited when the head penetrated the airship's outer skin.4
Sectioned Ranken Dart in the Imperial War Museum collection
"Ranken Dart IWM". iwm.org. Retrieved 2023-01-06. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30023709 ↩
Castle 2008, pp. 48–49. - Castle, I. (2008). London 1914–1917: The Zeppelin Menace. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 978-1-84603-245-5. ↩