Plans for the construction of the Shenandoah (an Indian name meaning daughter of the stars), the first rigid airship to be built in the United States, were begun in September 1919. The first materials were delivered to the Naval Aircraft Factory at Philadelphia early in 1920. Her parts were manufactured at the Naval Aircraft Factory and then shipped to NAS Lakehurst for final assembly. The assembling began on 11 February 1922. When the ZR-2 crashed, the Navy immediately focused its attention on Shenandoah (ZR-1). Numerous investigations, design reviews and further testing and experimentation were conducted to ensure that the structural integrity and design of the ZR-1 were adequate to fulfill all required missions.

The Shenandoah achieved many firsts during her short career. She was the first rigid airship to be inflated with helium; the first to use water recovery apparatus for the continuous recovery of ballast from the exhaust gas of the fuel burned; and she completing the most extended operation accomplished by an airship up to that time. In crossing the U.S. from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from Canada to Mexico, total time away from the shed at Lakehurst was 19 days, 19 hours, and distance covered was 9,317 statute miles. A great variety of weather, wind and climate was experienced, much of which was adverse. During her relatively short life of two years, she made 57 flights, logging 740 hours in the air, which covered about 28,000 miles on flights designed to train crewmen in the science of handling large airships in naval missions.

3 September 1925 - Shenandoah disaster. Left the mooring mast at NAS Lakehurst at 1500, September 2, for a flight over the midwest. The airship proceeded westerly over Philadelphia and Wheeling, W. Va., headed for Columbus, Ohio. While over eastern Ohio, before dawn on the morning of September 3, the airship encountered a severe storm at 0548. EST. She broke in two, ahead of the forward engines over Ava about 25 miles east of Zanesville. The control car separated and fell to the ground while the forward section of the ship rose to a great height and remained in the air for the greater part of an hour, before making a free balloon landing at Sharon, Ohio. The after section descended almost immediately, breaking into two parts when it struck the ground.

Twenty-nine of those on board survived the crash, but 14 officers and men were killed.

Officer:

Commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Zachary Lansdowne

Lieutenant Commander Lewis Hancock,

Lieutenants John Bullard Lawrence, Arthur Reginald Houghton,

Lieutenant Junior Grade Edgar William Sheppard;

Enlisted crewmen:

Everett Price Allen,

Charles Harrison Broom,

James William Cullinan,

Ralph Thomas Jeffray,

Celestino P. Mazzuco,

James Albert Moore,

Bartholomew B. O'Sullivan,

George Conrad Schnitzer, (Chief radio operator)

William Howard Spratley.