In April of 1933, the United States Navy Rigid Airship “Akron” crashed off the coast of New Jersey. Seventy-three Navy airmen were lost in this horrifying disaster. The development of rigid airships and “blimps” ended in Europe at the end of the First World War. In the U.S. and Great Britain however, limited programs continued. The Akron was commissioned in 1929 and went into service on October 27, 1931. She was built at the U.S. Goodyear Zeppelin Corporation in Akron Ohio. The Akron was built with the capability of docking and hangaring five aircraft while in flight. This attribute makes her unique. She was a one of a kind war machine, a flying aircraft carrier that could carry fighter and bomber aircraft fully armed and fueled, directly to a target which could be either landlocked or near water. The loss of the Akron represents a fiery and tragic end in the evolution of airborne warfare.
Akron’s sister airship, the Macon, suffered a similar fate by crashing into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. Ironically, the Macon was carrying the Akron’s five aircraft when it crashed.
Join James Delgado and The Sea Hunter team as they search for the remains of these two unique vessels of war and tell their fascinating history.
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