A. Bertram Chandler was a huge fan of and advocate for airships - and most of his 'Grimes' novels feature one even if only as part of the scenery.
A few observations on airship design, engineering and history can be found in some of his non-fiction pieces, viewable at
A Bertram Chandler - Science Fiction Author and Master of the Rim Worlds (the official website). Go to the bibliography section and scroll down to below the listings for short stories.
In two stories he presents various methods for providing steerage to a crippled, unpowered dirigible/blimp with methods borrowed from seamanship.
A movie with a nice dirigible scene is The Rocketeer. The climactic battle at the end takes place aboard the control cab and along the top.