science · 03 September 1925 · 100 years ago
In 1925, the U.S. Navy airship Shenandoah, the first American-built rigid dirigible crashed. It was struck and destroyed in a violent thunderstorm, ripped apart by high winds, over Caldwell, Ohio. Of the 43 crew members, 14 died, but 29 survived. It was the first of the Zeppelin type to use helium gas, of which a supply was was available in the U.S. This ZR-1 was launched 20 Aug 1923, and tested in flight 3 Sep 1923. Covered with an aluminum-painted fabric, it was 680 feet long, weighed 36 tons, could bear 55 tons, and carry enough fuel to cruise 5,000 miles at an average speed of 65 mph. Although at the time the crash made front-page news around the world, this tragedy has been largely forgotten.
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