Though much heavier than conventional rings, the deep rings promised to be much stronger, a significant attraction to the navy after the in-flight break up of the earlier conventional airships R38/ZR-2 and ZR-1 Shenandoah.
Rammerne var tungere end datidens konventionelle designs, men var stærkere, hvilket var vigtigt for US Navy efter forlisene af de tidligere konventionelle luftskibe R38/ZR-2 og ZR-1 Shenandoah.