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Today in American Military History -- 1933
USN Airship 'Akron' (ZRS-4) crashes off New Jersey, 73 die.
USS Akron (ZRS-4) was a helium-filled rigid airship of the U.S. Navy which operated between September 1931 and April 1933. She was the world's first purpose-built flying aircraft carrier, carrying F9C Sparrowhawk fighter planes which could be launched and recovered while she was in flight. With an overall length of 785 ft (239 m), the Akron and her sister ship the Macon were among the largest flying objects ever built. The US Navy craft still hold the world record for helium-filled airships.
The Akron was destroyed in a thunderstorm off the coast of New Jersey on the morning of 4 April 1933, killing 73 of the 76 crewmen and passengers. This accident involved the greatest loss of life in any airship crash
USN Airship 'Akron' (ZRS-4) crashes off New Jersey, 73 die.
USS Akron (ZRS-4) was a helium-filled rigid airship of the U.S. Navy which operated between September 1931 and April 1933. She was the world's first purpose-built flying aircraft carrier, carrying F9C Sparrowhawk fighter planes which could be launched and recovered while she was in flight. With an overall length of 785 ft (239 m), the Akron and her sister ship the Macon were among the largest flying objects ever built. The US Navy craft still hold the world record for helium-filled airships.
The Akron was destroyed in a thunderstorm off the coast of New Jersey on the morning of 4 April 1933, killing 73 of the 76 crewmen and passengers. This accident involved the greatest loss of life in any airship crash
USS Akron (ZRS-4) - Wikipedia
Posted from en.wikipedia.org
Military History
American History
Naval Historical Foundation
Posted >1 y ago
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These airships have always held my interest, COL John McClellan. It's a shame almost all of them ended up in crashes, some resulting in great loss of life.
Here's a photo of the F9C Sparrowhawk being retrieved by the Macon in 1933, and a photo of a Sparrowhawk in the Akron's hangar.
Here's a photo of the F9C Sparrowhawk being retrieved by the Macon in 1933, and a photo of a Sparrowhawk in the Akron's hangar.
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