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The USS Shenandoah

The United States Navy's First Rigid Airship

Take me to:

1. Introduction
2. Development & Construction
3. Christening
4. Service in the Navy
5. Demise

Introduction

On October 10, 1923, hundreds gathered to mark a very special occasion for the United States and the US Navy: the official start of the Era of the Rigid Airship.    

On that date, the airship ZR-1 was officially christened the USS Shenandoah, a name that was thought to translate to “daughter of the stars.” The USS Shenandoah marked many firsts for the United States. It was the first rigid airship to be inflated with helium, a rare lifting gas that was safer than the more common hydrogen. It was also the first rigid airship to be constructed by the United States.  

Many saw rigid airships as the future of aviation and dreamed of a time when an entire fleet would sail the skies. Although this dream did not become a reality, the USS Shenandoah did pave the way forward for future rigid airship pilots and crews and offered an invaluable platform for training.   

What is an Airship?

Airships offered humans the first way to navigate in the air. The navigation of balloons was dependent on the varying directions of wind currents. But these powered, lighter-than-air craft could be controlled. Some considered the airship to be a serious rival to another technology that developed rapidly around the same time: the airplane.   

Engineer Henri Giffard piloted the first powered, controlled flight of an airship on September 24, 1852. But it would be several decades before an airship could navigate in even a light wind. Efforts to develop craft that could meet commercial and military needs were underway by the early 1900s. 

Lighter-Than-Air vs. Heavier-Than-Air

Airships are lighter-than-air (LTA) craft. These craft differ from heavier-than-air (HTA) craft, such as an airplane. Heavier-than-air craft are unable to become airborne on their own. Instead, they use a combination of aerodynamic design and an engine to create lift. Lighter-than-air craft, such as hot-air balloons, can become airborne without the help of external forces, like an engine.  

Airships, while technically classified as LTA, actually benefit from a combination of the forces that factor into HTA and LTA flight. Airships become buoyant through the use of gases that are less dense than the air, typically hydrogen or helium. These gases are what get them airborne. However, unlike a standard balloon, they also rely on an engine to control and propel them forward. Therefore, airships must also be designed to be aerodynamic so they can easily cut through the slipstream, similar to an airplane.   

Unfortunately, this combination also makes flying airships a much more challenging operation than flying a typical HTA or LTA craft. A pilot must contend with controlling the buoyancy of the craft through the release of lifting gas as well as the operation of and movement caused by the airship's engines.  

Unfortunately, this combination also makes flying airships a much more challenging operation than flying a typical HTA or LTA craft. A pilot must contend with controlling the buoyancy of the craft through the release of lifting gas as well as the operation of and movement caused by the airship's engines.  

Pressure Ships vs. Rigid Airships

Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin led innovation in airship design with his rigid airships. Before von Zeppelin, people flew pressure airships. Pressure airships kept their shape because the pressure of the gas inside the ship was slightly higher than that of the air. When not inflated, the envelope was simply an empty bag.   

With rigid airships, the gas was contained in separate bags inside a rigid frame that gave the aircraft its shape. Rigid airships were much larger than pressure airships and could carry many more passengers and heavier freight. The USS Shenandoah was a rigid airship.  

Want to learn more about airships? Visit these resources:

• More about airships
• More about flight before the airplane
• More about naval aviation

Development & Construction

The construction of the USS Shenandoah can be traced to France at the height of World War I.   

German Origins

During the early morning hours of October 20, 1917, French aviators forced the German Zeppelin L-49 down while attempting to return from a bombing mission in England. The airship landed relatively intact and French forces in the area captured it. Although the British had been able to study crashed wrecks of other Zeppelins before this point, the capture of an intact Zeppelin provided an incredible wealth of information regarding the construction of the craft.

Aeronautical engineer Starr Truscott wrote about the importance of this data in a report dated June 17, 1922, stating: 

"Among the information obtained during 1918 were sets of plans and descriptive booklets as made by the French from the German Airship L-49, which had been forced down intact at Bourbonne Les Bains on October 20, 1917.  This was the first comprehensive information regarding the actual construction of a Zeppelin which had been obtained….As a result of the study of this information and that received from various other sources it was concluded that the surest method of constructing a successful airship would be to copy as closely as possible the L-49.  The plans appeared to fairly complete and the information regarding the structure and materials comprehensive.  It was accordingly recommended to the Secretary of the Navy that the construction of one rigid airship, in general a copy of the L-49, be approved. 

This recommendation was approved on August 9th, 1919 by the Secretary of the Navy, and the arrangements to begin construction of what would be the USS Shenandoah was started immediately."

Although the L-49 was the model for the airship, American engineers made additional changes to the ZR-1 during the design process. These changes included lengthening the airship and adding two additional gas cells and one additional engine. Construction of the massive craft began in earnest following the approval of the final design in 1919. 

An American Made Craft

The Aluminum Company of America received the contract to produce the material needed for the rigid structure of the Shenandoah. The framework of the airship had to be both incredibly strong but also incredibly light for optimal functioning of the craft. The answer to these requirements was Duralumin. Duralumin is an alloy created mainly of aluminum and copper developed by Germany for their Zeppelins. It provided the ideal strength-to-weight ratio needed for the framework of the USS Shenandoah. 

The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company produced the material needed for the enormous gas bags of the airship. Goodyear produced much of the rubberized material used for Navy lighter-than-air craft during the First World War and studied the material from German Zeppelin gas bags known as goldbeater’s skin. The material was created from skin from the intestines of cattle. It was called “goldbeater’s skin” because artisans commonly used it to separate very thin sheets of gold, known as gold leaf, that was commonly used to decorate picture frames. 

The initial stages of construction of the USS Shenandoah began at the Naval Aircraft Factory, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Workers at the Naval Aircraft Factory took duralumin and fashioned it into girders and numerous structural rings needed for the airship. The factory, however, did not have the space needed to construct the parts into the finished airship.  

Trucks and rail cars carried the numerous parts from Philadelphia to the new airship hangar built at Naval Air Station Lakehurst in Lakehurst, New Jersey. These shipments started in early 1922, and by April 1922, the first section was assembled and lifted into position. Once the first ring was complete, additional components were shipped and added to provide the length of the airship. By November 1922, the hull of the Shenandoah was three-quarters complete. Tensioned wires were connected throughout the frames to provide additional strength, and by late November, the first gas bag was installed and tested. By February 1923, workers complete the construction of the hull of the airship and began the process of covering it with fabric.

The outer covering of the USS Shenandoah consisted of hundreds of yards of cotton fabric covered in dope, a cellulose-based resin that provided a flexible and waterproof coating. This technique was well known in the aviation industry and was common practice in fabric covered aircraft. When the fabric was attached to the airship and covered in dope, it shrank and tightened around the structure of the airship. Following this process, a final layer of dope containing powdered aluminum was then applied, creating a waterproof coating that also reflected sunlight to assist in keeping the lifting gas within the airship cool. 

The Choice of Lifting Gas

The USS Shenandoah was inflated with lifting gas for the first time on August 20, 1923. The airship had originally been designed to use hydrogen as a lifting gas. Hydrogen was a very effective and common lifting gas, but it was highly combustible and could be very dangerous. Helium was very rare at that time and far more expensive than hydrogen. It also did not provide as much lift as hydrogen. The US Navy elected to use helium as a lifting gas, however, following a series of accidents in 1922 and 1923 with hydrogen-filled craft. 

On September 4, 1923, the USS Shenandoah took flight for the first time, marking the first ever flight of a helium-filled rigid airship as well as the first flight of a rigid airship built by the United States.  

Hundreds of US Navy personnel were needed to pull the USS Shenandoah out of the hangar at Lakehurst. The New York Times reported that, “Cheered by 15,000 persons, the dirigible, a ‘made in America’ product, rose gracefully, and, after circling the field, took an easterly course to Toms River.” Twenty-nine crew participated in the test flight, and the airship was only aloft for 55 minutes. This moment, however, marked a new era of rigid airships for the US Navy. 

Christening

On October 10, 1923, 5,000 people gathered to take part in a ceremony with roots dating back to ancient times. In attendance were high ranking Navy personnel and distinguished guests including Secretary of Navy Edwin Denby.

The act of “christening a ship” can be seen in ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian history, during which ceremonies were held to call down blessings onto the ship as it prepared to travel across dangerous seas. This tradition carried on through history and throughout numerous countries, where different religions added their own context to the ceremony. The US Navy’s christening tradition traces its roots to that of the Royal Navy of Great Britain. The Royal Navy ceremony included a sponsor for the ship, often a member of the royal family, who officially performed the christening ceremony which included the breaking of a bottle of liquor on the ship before it was launched into the sea for the first time. The construction of the USS Shenandoah marked a new type of craft for the US Navy, but it was determined that it should be welcomed into the fleet in the same way as any other ship. 

Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby started the christening ceremony that October morning with a speech emphasizing the new airship era of the US Navy.  The New York Times quoted him as stating, “The creation of this great ship marks a new era in the development of man's conquest of the air in the United States. We stand today at the very threshold of development in the science of aeronautics in the United States." He went on to state, “We of the navy are proud that it was the brain of the navy, the navy's skill, that made this vessel possible. And we, with our sister service, are fully determined that the United States will keep not only abreast but ahead of all other nations of the world in the development of this latest and, perhaps, most terrible weapon of the war."  

The New York Tribune quoted Denby’s speech as well, stating, “This great ship marks an epoch in man's conquest of the air. But we are only standing at the threshold of the development of the science of aeronautics in the United States and the world. We are just beginning to glimpse something of the commercial development we may rightly expect from the dirigible." Denby also reminded the crowd that the airship was considered a great weapon for the arsenal of the US Navy when he stated, "This vessel now is a ship of the United States navy. It represents the newest, latest and perhaps the most terrible weapon of offense. But I pray that it never may have to be used in attack on an enemy or in the defense of this country.”  He continued, "Any enemy of the United States that invites a trial of power with this country will have its hands full. We expect to equal and surely hope to surpass all others in military aviation."   

Edwin Denby also took time during the ceremony to read a message sent via telegram by President Calvin Coolidge to mark the occasion. The telegram read, “Congratulations on the excellent pioneer work done by your airship Shenandoah, built, planned and manned by our navy. She is a great contribution to our defense and to the development of commercial aviation." 

Marion Thurber Denby, the wife of Secretary Denby and official sponsor for the airship, took to the platform after the remarks to complete the ceremony. Alcohol had been banned in the United States in 1920 with the passing of the 18th Amendment, so no bottle was broken against the airship as was customary in christening ceremonies. Instead, Mrs. Denby exclaimed, “I christen thee Shenandoah,” and pulled a ribbon attached to the airship’s body that opened a compartment containing three carrier pigeons. The pigeons carried a message to President Calvin Coolidge in Washington announcing the addition of the airship to the fleet. At that moment, the ZR-1 officially became the USS Shenandoah, which was thought to mean “daughter of the stars.” 

Following the official ceremony, Mr. and Mrs. Denby, their son Edwin Jr., and various admirals and foreign representatives accompanied the airship as it was pulled out of the hangar. The Denbys and several Navy officers boarded the airship and prepared for its first flight as an official ship of the US Navy. The lines holding the airship to the ground were cast off, and the airship took off, flying to approximately 2,000 feet for a short hour-long trip over the Atlantic Ocean. Upon returning to the hangar, Secretary Denby commented, “It was a wonderful experience. I enjoyed every minute of it. Much more ease and comfort than in an airplane.” The USS Shenandoah was officially added to the register of Navy ships that day, marking the start of the rigid airship era in the US military. 

Service in the Navy

The United States Navy designated the USS Shenandoah as a craft for use in long distance reconnaissance missions. 

As the first such craft in the US Navy, there was little precedent on which to base both training and operation. Crewmembers trained on a series of kite (tethered) balloons and free (non-tethered) balloons leading up to the launch of the USS Shenandoah. Few had any formal experience with flying and operating airships. The Shenandoah eventually became a key component of training US Navy personnel in operating other rigid airships.  

One steep challenge the crew of the Shenandoah faced was storing the airship. Taking the USS Shenandoah in and out of its hangar at Lakehurst was a complicated operation. At its first launch, over 400 people were needed to drag the massive ship out of the hangar. Another option was to put the airship on a mooring when not in use. This involved attaching the airship to a tall mast secured to the ground while it still floated in the air. It is an operation similar to how a boat might moor to a buoy in the water to prevent it from floating away.  

Using a mooring mast allowed operation of the Shenandoah to be more flexible than returning the ship to its hangar after each flight. Hauling the USS Shenandoah in and out of its hangar could potentially take hours and required a large ground crew. There was also a great risk of damage to the airship when bringing it in and out of its hangar. Moreover, at 680 feet long, the USS Shenandoah needed a massive hangar. It needed a hangar so large in fact, that there was only one hangar the Navy had at that time that could house the airship—hangar no.1 at Lakehurst.   

If the crew could master the maneuver, mooring was a much more efficient option. It would be essential if the USS Shenandoah were to become a part of the Navy’s scouting fleet as intended.  

Mooring an Airship 

So, what exactly is an airship mooring mast? Typically, a mooring mast is a tall post or tower that an airship can affix to while still in the air. The top of an airship mooring mast rotates. When a ship docks, it swivels like a weathervane atop a building with the changing direction of the wind. This rotation prevents undue stress on the airship and the mooring mast in various weather conditions.  

The mooring mast at Lakehurst Naval Air Station, which was the USS Shenandoah’s home base, was installed in 1922. It was 165 feet tall and had three platforms. At its mooring in Lakehurst, the USS Shenandoah could be replenished with gas, helium, and water ballast while awaiting its next mission. Crew members could access the airship via a gangway into the nose of the ship.  

The system, while more efficient than dragging the great ship in and out of its hangar, was far from perfect. In 1924, the USS Shenandoah broke away while at mast due to strong winds. Crew aboard were eventually able to get the ship under control, and over 400 groundcrew wrestled it back down to the ground the next day, but the USS Shenandoah suffered extensive damage to its nose and would therefore be laid up for a bit while it received repairs. 

The Mission to Cross North America and Back

After its christening in 1923, the USS Shenandoah went out on a series of short flights to both train the crew and test the utility of the ship as reconnaissance aircraft. This included practicing moorings at Lakehurst as well as moorings with the US Navy’s first fleet airship tender USS Patoka, a converted Navy oil replenishment ship. 

At the same time, aviation was becoming engrained in American popular culture. The nation was finding itself air-minded—with an enthusiasm for all things aeronautical. The Navy took this enthusiasm as a chance to garner support for their fledgling lighter-than-air program. The USS Shenandoah carried out several publicity flights over populated areas. The goal was to show off to the American public this feat of technology which was longer than the Washington Monument is tall.  

The desire to capture the public’s interest continued with a proposal to take the USS Shenandoah on an expedition to the Arctic. However enticing this trip sounded to the general public, there would need to be some groundwork laid before it would even be feasible. The USS Shenandoah could not fly straight to the North Pole. Where would the airship land? How would it refuel?  

Although the USS Shenandoah and crew had some flight practice in 1924, the crew had not traveled much farther than the eastern part of the United States. It was decided that the USS Shenandoah would set out on a trip to cross North America and back. The crew could test out mooring masts built for the eventual Arctic expedition and expand their skills in operating the airship.  

It also gave the Navy yet another chance to show off this new technology to the American public. As the USS Shenandoah flew across the country, it broadcast its presence across the airways: 

"During all of this time the ship was in communication by radio with the Naval Laboratory at Bellevue, near Washington, and remained so during the entire voyage. Radio messages were coming and going between the ship, Government stations and amateurs. Thousands of amateurs were listening in. Messages were received from practically all cities on the way, - every city and town, - and as we went on out way greetings from the mayors of the towns and other officials, were exchanged. Before reaching Fort Worth Captain Lansdowne and myself broadcasted and this was done on approaching San Deigo, and later at Los Angeles and other places."

—Rear Admiral William A. Moffet, who was aboard the ship for the voyage 

Experience History Aboard the USS Shenandoah 

On October 7, 1924, the USS Shenandoah set off on a mission to cross the United States and back. Beginning at Lakehurst Naval Air Station, the airship flew to a mooring in Fort Worth, Texas. Then the USS Shenandoah carried on to moorings in San Diego, California, and Tacoma, Washington. Once in Washington, the Shenandoah flew back across the United States, returning to Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. The entire trip took over 19 days and marked the first transcontinental flight by a rigid airship.  

It might be hard to imagine what it would be like to fly aboard what was at the time a largely untested technology. On a trip of unprecedented lengths, no less. The US Navy perhaps had similar foresight—they allowed a National Geographic reporter named Junius B. Wood aboard the voyage. He documented his experience for the masses. Wood’s perspective offers a civilian’s insight aboard this newcomer in naval air power. 

Read Junius Wood's article

In the archives at the National Air and Space Museum there is another account from the perspective of someone “on the inside.” William A. Moffet (1869-1933) was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. He was one of the largest supporters of lighter-than-air flight in the Navy and was the first chief of the Navy’s Bureau of Aeronautics. He was aboard the USS Shenandoah on its historic trip across the United States and left behind a detailed account of his experience. 

Something historians think about when they research documents from the past is who the authors of those documents are. A person’s unique perspective might affect what they have to say. Just like people today might have multiple points of view about the same event, so did people in the past.

In the image gallery that follows, follow the USS Shenandoah across the United States through the eyes of Rear Admiral William Moffet. As you read through Rear Admiral Moffet’s account of the USS Shenandoah’s North American crossing consider these questions:  

1. What was it like to ride aboard a naval airship in 1924? 
2. How might the Rear Admiral’s account differ from the reporter’s, Junius B. Wood?  
3. How might the Rear Admiral’s motivations affect what he put in his report?  

Moffet concluded his report on a positive note, writing:

"I can not say too much in praise of the skill, courage, endurance, and high morale not only of Captain Lansdowne and his officers but especially of the crew – the men who, hour after hour, kept the great motors going without ceasing – the men at the rudders, and those engaged in the careful inspection necessary through out the great ship."

Was it a Success?

The USS Shenandoah’s North American crossing came shortly after the ZR-3 (later christened as the USS Los Angeles), a German-made rigid airship that was part of the Navy’s fleet, crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Germany to New Jersey successfully. This previous success, coupled with the USS Shenandoah’s relatively smooth trek across North America, had airship supporters feeling confident about the technologies future military applications. Moffet summarized in his account of the crossing: 

“The voyage of the Shenandoah, from the terminal point of the ZR-3 voyage to the Pacific northwest, represents a different phase of airship transportation. It was an even more severe test of airworthy qualities of the airship than the trans-Atlantic voyage. In the course of the trans-continental flight two mountain ranges were passed over twice, and practically all conditions of weather were encountered.” 

While Rear Admiral Moffet certifies the North American crossing of the Shenandoah a general success in his account of the crossing, the challenges with the infrastructure needed to support and handle rigid airships were far from over. Moreover, the ship's use of helium was expensive—as the Seattle Star pointed out in the days after Shenandoah's arrival at Fort Lewis. 

A few years after the USS Shenandoah was lost, supporters of the rigid airship were still grappling with the issue of safely mooring and handling airships. In 1928, Lt.Cdr. C.E. Rosendahl of the United States Navy stated in paper form the 1928 Chicago Aeronautic Meeting that “...those of us who are engaged in the operation of rigid airships believe that the attainment of the full potentialities of this class of carrier is dependent upon, and will be greatly expedited by, solution of the mooring and ground-handling problems.”

Message in a Bottle—Airship Style

Another legacy from the USS Shenandoah's time in service is a collection of letters dropped from the airship.

Mail dropped from the sky during several flights of the USS Shenandoah. Actually, the crew intentionally dropped letters, postcards, and leaflets out the windows. Like crew members of other Zeppelins and lighter-than-aircraft, they used parachutes as well as containers weighted with sand or other heavy ballast to guide the papers to the ground. The senders relied on the goodwill of the discoverers to take the mail to the post office or deliver it themselves to the addressee.  

Rather than a direct means of communication, the dropped mail was more of a morale booster as the crew and their associates created unique souvenirs for family and friends and leaflets to mark the occasion of a flight’s passing. Numerous examples of dropped and flown mail survive and are described in historian Cheryl Ganz’s 2021 book US Zeppelin and Airship Mail Flights, including a November 20, 1923, envelope that is on display at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum as of 2023.

The local paper reported the story of this mail’s travels. C. A. Jones, who was involved in the Shenandoah’s construction, arranged for the letter to be dropped while the airship passed near the hometown of his nephew Dudley Jones of Marlboro, Massachusetts. That afternoon Mrs. W. Y. Seymour found the envelope in the Green Hill Park, Worcester, Massachusetts, and followed the sender’s request marked on the front, “This Letter was dropped from the Z.R.1. please mail.”  

When the Shenandoah headed south from Boston on its return to Lakehurst, the story of another letter dropped on that same flight also made news. The Boston Globe reported the day after the flight that “As the big ship was over the watch factory [in Waltham] hundreds of curious gazers saw something flutter down,” and a factory employee took the stamped mail to the post office upon reading the envelope’s inscription, “Dropped while in flight. Please forward.” 

Not all mail associated with the Shenandoah was dropped, however. Mail simply flown aboard was taken to local post offices during stops or after a flight. Mail on the airship sometimes included items that associates and philatelic collectors arranged with the crew to carry. Yet, according to Ganz, none of the flown or dropped mail of the USS Shenandoah was transported under official sanction of the Post Office Department.

The ways and means for eventual delivery varied. At least one letter written by Chief Radio Operator George Schnitzer Jr. during the July 14 and 15, 1925, flights made its way to the post office for delivery to his aunt and uncle — the envelope bears a postage stamp and postmark of Newport, Rhode Island.

Another has “Please Deliver” handwritten on the envelope’s front and Schnitzer endorsed the back with, “Hello Newport / regards from a son,” suggesting the intention to drop this en route, and the lack of postal markings indicate it arrived at the home of his brother and sister-in-law without being processed at a post office.

In all five of Schnitzer’s letters in the National Air and Space Museum Archives, he used the phrase, “dropping a few lines,” hinting at a mail drop for the notes sent to his family in commemoration of his role in the Shenandoah’s pioneering flights.

Demise

Once added to the fleet of the US Navy, the USS Shenandoah started serving with distinction. The newly built and commissioned airship fulfilled a critical role within the service: acting as a training craft for future airship commanders and crew. It was also used to test how the new craft could be incorporated into the fleet and used to its fullest potential. 

In early 1924, Lt. Cdr. Zachary Lansdowne took command of the USS Shenandoah. He had been a US Navy representative aboard the British rigid airship R-34 during its flight across the Atlantic and was one of the most experienced lighter-than-air commanders in the fleet. Lansdowne was also a very vocal supporter of the lighter-than-air fleet. He spent most of 1924 making numerous flights to test the capabilities of the newly built USS Shenandoah. When the USS Shenandoah became the first rigid airship to make a transcontinental flight across the United States, it was major news for weeks across the United States. It also brought more attention to the importance of the rigid airship within the fleet.  

This attention was incredibly useful for promoting the technology, as well as generating more Congressional investment in additional craft, but it also helped lead to the eventual demise of the USS Shenandoah. 

Following the cross-country flight, the USS Shenandoah was deflated to obtain helium for the Navy’s newest airship, ZR-2 USS Los Angeles. The Zeppelin Company of Germany built the USS Los Angeles as a war reparation following World War I. It was also designed to fly with helium like the USS Shenandoah. The US Navy, however, did not have enough helium to operate both airships.  The USS Shenandoah was flown to the hangar in Lakehurst, New Jersey, and the rigid structure was suspended from the ceiling and supported from the ground so it could remain upright even without the lifting gas. This deflation also allowed the airship to receive much needed repairs as well as upgrades to the operation.  

One of the most impactful changes made at this time was the removal of automatic gas release valves. The USS Shenandoah had a series of valves that would allow the helium within the gas cells to automatically be released if the pressure within the cells was too high. Lansdowne ordered most of these automatic valves removed to prevent the loss of the precious helium. This decision later played a role in the crash of the USS Shenandoah. 

By late June 1925, the USS Shenandoah was reinflated with helium from the USS Los Angeles and once again began flight operations. Many in the country were pushing for more demonstration flights, and the USS Shenandoah was ordered to make a flight across multiple cities throughout the Midwest. Lansdowne protested this flight as the weather in the summer was very unpredictable, so it was moved to September 1925. The airship continued to participate in US Navy exercises, working to test reconnaissance practices throughout the summer. As September approached, preparations were made to begin the cross-country journey, and on September 2, 1925, the USS Shenandoah left the hangar at Lakehurst, New Jersey, beginning its flight to Ohio. The flight, however, would be the last for the USS Shenandoah. 

As the USS Shenandoah flew across Ohio in the early morning hours of September 3, 1925, it suddenly encountered an area of extreme air currents driven by stormy weather. It began to rise rapidly.  Measures were quickly taken to help bring the ship back into a level position as the airship rolled and pitched. Initially the crew regained control, but the ship lurched up once again at an average rate of 225 feet per minute. The rapid ascent of several thousand feet in a short time frame caused the pressure in the gas cells to increase, and the crew started to release helium to prevent the gas cells from bursting and to help lower the ship.  

The flight was turbulent during the entire time, and crew reported hearing creaks and groans from the rigid frame of the ship as it maneuvered. The USS Shenandoah then hit a sudden burst of cold air within the storm, causing the ship to rapidly descend. The intense maneuvers in a span of only about 30 minutes were too much for the airframe to handle, and it started to break up. 

Survivors of the crash reported the chaos that occurred as the airship broke up in mid-air to the New York Times on September 5, 1925. Lt. Joseph B. Anderson stated, “…The whole ship was full of groans and noises.Then came the crash as she snapped in two.That was just after I got out of the control car and was going up the ladder to the cat-walk. I had hardly reached the platform when the control car snapped and dropped straight down into space.”  

The externally attached control car plummeted to the ground, killing Lt. Cdr. Zachary Lansdowne and several members of the crew working to save the ship. Anderson continued, “Those of us in the fore part of the ship were all right. We had plenty of gas and ballast and began preparations to free balloon our part of the craft to earth. We let out gas until we came gradually to earth, and reached the ground about twelve miles from where the after section landed.”  

The crew in the front of the airship did survive with minor injuries as they piloted the broken section of the airship to the ground like a regular balloon. Crew members in other sections of the airship had very different experiences. Lt. Thomas B. Hendley reported, “At the first nose dive I noticed that the air was unusually hot and sticky. But after turning and twisting to an altitude of about 7,000 feet we struck a current of cold air…After the ship broke, I clung to a girder until we hit the earth. We lifted again and drifted for a short distance and came down once more in the tree tops. We bounced and tossed about. The girder to which I was clinging snapped off several tree tops and realizing that my chances of being killed by being brushed against those limbs were just as good as by chancing a drop to earth, I let go and landed safely.” 

The breakup of the USS Shenandoah created 3 major crash sites, with one containing the control car that separated and the other two containing the front and rear portions of the ship which separated and crashed. Fourteen crew members of the 43-person crew perished in the accident, including all that were located within the control car. Thousands of people from throughout the area quickly swarmed the crash sites, and survivors reported looting by many people. The sites were eventually secured, and the wreckage was collected. 

Investigations into the crash pointed to various possibilities as to the cause. Some pointed to the removal of the automatic gas release valves which could have allowed more helium to be released in a faster manner, possibly preventing the airship from rising so rapidly. Others pointed to flaws in the design itself. The German L-49 airship, which inspired the design of the USS Shenandoah, was never designed to encounter the type of weather the USS Shenandoah encountered on its final flight. It was determined that future US-built airships would need to be constructed with stronger rigid structures, as well as control cars built into the frame of the airship as opposed to suspended from it.   

Although the career of the USS Shenandoah ended in disaster almost exactly two years to the day of its first flight, it did not end the dream of rigid airship use by the US Navy. The Navy went on to design the USS Macon and USS Akron (the first flying aircraft carriers) based off lessons learned through the career of the USS Shenandoah. The Shenandoah also offered incredibly valuable experience to new crew members in the operations of lighter-than-air craft, many of whom would go on to serve in the field through World War II.