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USS Shenandoah cast off from Fort Worth and headed toward its next destination in San Diego. As the USS Shenandoah headed further west, Moffet noted that it “...would be a severe and grueling test for the country’s and Navy’s first rigid airship.”
The relevant section from Moffet's account reads:
"In the control car at this time besides myself there are only Captain Lansdowne, the navigator, the officer of the watch, and the horizontal and vertical rudder men, experienced and tried men who had seen service and been trained on the ZR-2. As we proceeded further into the mountains, the difficulties became greater; the mountains rose higher and higher until the ship seemed submerged among them. It became necessary to drop more water ballast, until the ship had reached successively 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, and 6,500 feet. The personnel, whose duty it is to go on top of the airship and adjust the valves, think nothing of going up and down the ladders or walking on top of the shop in the air, even when going at high speed.
At this time we found we would probably have to drop all available ballast as she was forced to climb higher and higher. As we came to the highest pass, Captain Lansdowne dropped the last water ballast, and he turned to the quartermaster, the elevator-man Allee, one of the finest, coolest, and most efficient men I have ever known, and told him to give the shop all the elevator he had. Allee replied saying, ‘I have given her all we have now, sir.’ Lansdowne gave orders to stand by to drop the gasoline tanks. Lietenant [sic] Bauch, in charge of this department, stood ready to release them.
With the mountains close aboard on each side, and the track barely visible below us, the Shenandoah rose to the highest altitude she could with her load. The issue looked doubtful for a few tense moments, but she made it. We had gone to 7,200 feet and still had all our gasoline and were on our way, feeling that the trip was a success and was accomplished. We knew that the rest would be easy.
