computer line drawing by cansisD, for which our thanks
This newspaper wrote that day that the biggest airship of the world was lost during a night flight off the coast of New Jersey near the light ship Barnegat.(1) At 1.50 o’clock telegraphed the German tanker Phoebe that the Akron was driving helpless in sea and that she rescued the captain and 2 sailors of the crew which numbered 77 men on board. At that there was a very strong wind blowing joined by heavy rainfall. The Akron was two times the size of the German Graf Zeppelin and left in Monday afternoon the coast of New England for a trial flight (later was reported for manoeuvres) and returning towards Lakehurst. According to later tidings was reported that the Phoebus couldn’t save all crew members and that the Akron still was floating. On board were 19 officers and 57 sailors and the chef of the naval air force admiral W.A. Moffett (3) and 3 officers of the staff of the admiralty. Her commanding officer was captain F.C. McCord. In stead of what was said in the first tiding it was first officer H.B. Wiley who was rescued with the 3 other men. The tanker Phoebus was the only ship in the neighbourhood. Until February she was owned by the Waried, Tankschiffrederei G.m.b.H. at Hamburg, Germany but since then transferred to the Baltisch-Americanische Petroleum Import G.m.b.H at Danzig (2).The specifications of her were 785’x 132’9” (maximum diameter) x 146’5” (height), brute lift capacity 403,000 lbs and net 182,000 lbs, 8 engines supplying 4,480 hp allowing a maximum speed of 83,8 miles and a range of 10,580 land miles. In 1923 started Goodyear negotiations with Eckener for patents of the Graf Zeppelin while Germany was allowed to built airships. As a result moved chief engineer Karl Arnstein joined by at least 12 other engineers to the Unites States and in 1927 approved the Congress 8.000.000 dollars for 2 naval airships and a year later was the contract signed. The American airships used helium in stead of the flammable hydrogen stored in 12 gas made of sheeting treated with rubber and sheeting treated with latex and gelatine in stead of gold-bearing membranes for which the intestinal sheets of 1,500.000 cattle were needed. On board of the Akron was a small airport consisting of a compartment with as dimensions 23 x 18 metres to store 5 scouts. They were pulled outside the airship through a T-shaped opening hooked to a warp, which was detached after the engine was started and the scout able to depart. Returning scouts were in a similar manner hooked and pulled inside. She was baptized by the wife of the American president Hoover on 1 August 1931 by pulling a cord opening a cage allowing snow white pigeons to fly away. Other navies like the British and the German also suffered from disasters with airships in the 20th century.
The USS Akron in 1931. Source U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph NH 63070.
Notes
1. The website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Akron_(ZRS-4) provides more details. Her sister ship was the Macron. German airship experts led by Karl Arnstein supervised the design and building process. She was ordered on 6 October 1928, laid down at the Goodyear Airdock Company at Springfield Township, Akron, Ohio for which purpose a special hangar was build on 31 October 1929, launched on 8 August 1931 and commissioned on 27 October of the same year, made her first real voyage on 23 September 1931 and was lost two years later on 4 April caused by worse weather conditions. With a tonnage of 221,000lb or 100 tons were her dimensions 239 x 50,4 (diameter) x 64,5 (height) metres or 785’x 132’6”x 152’6”. Eight gas oil fuelled engines which were in intern placed provided 560 hip allowing a maximum speed of 72 knots and 50 knots while cruising and with a range of 10,580 nautical miles. The capacity was 83,000 kg while full loaded and her maximum volume was 184,000M3. The crew numbered 89 men. She was armed with 7 machineguns and could also carry with her 4 F9C Sparrowhawk biplane fighters.
2. See for this ship the website http://www.aukevisser.nl/inter/id121.htm
3. Willem Adgert Molfetta (Charleston, South Carolina 31 October 1869-4 April 1933).
