Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-01-18
AKRON FLEW BLIND
IN CAPITAL STORM
Lieut.. ComdF. Rosendahl
Says BeaCons Were Guide
in SIeet and Snow.

The Nays new dirigible, U. S. S.
Akron, sailed over the city of Wash
ington flying blind" in a sleet and
snowstorm and unable to see the Ma
tional Capital late Saturday, January
8, the Navy Department announced
the big craft being guided only
by the radio beaconS Of the De-
partment of Commerce, on her cruise
South to take part in scouting exercises
with the scouting force.
Naval headquarters here Just received
the official report from Lieut.. Comdr.
Charles E. RoSendahl, commanding Of
flcer of the Akron, in which he de-
scribes how the mammoth ship sue
cessfully weathered heavy weather and
set up new American record of g.
hour fight, longer than any other air
ship Of the United States.
The flight on to Washington and
Southwark is thus described in the
language Of the report: In order to
skirt the storm, of which we had been
warned, We proceeded via Philadelphia
Baltimore, Washington, Richmond,
Greensboro, Raleigh and. thence to the
coast. The visibility was practically
zero the entire time. At Philadelphia
we caught one fleeting glimpse of the
surface and then struck out totally
blind. About half way to Baltimore
snow and sleet at ice-forming tempera-
lures set in.
Pass Over Capital in Snow.
1--WE identified Baltimore by seeing
the running lights Of a steamer head
ing out Of the harbor. Just before this
time we began to navigate by the De-
partment Of Commerce radio beacons
and passed over Washington in the
snow and sleet, with practically no
sight Of the city. Still continuing to
navigate blind by the radio beacons, we
arrived over Richmond to get two quick
glimpses Of the city through the snow
storm. We then followed the radio bea-
con beam out Of Richmond, picked up
the Greensboro beacon and followed 1t
into clearing weather just north of
South Boston.
cit was impossible to find tempera-
lures above freezing and our ceiling
without loss Of helium, was limited due
to the fullneSS of the ship. Before get
ting to Washington began to get
reports Of the formation of ice on the
ship. At that time we could not see
the formation of ice on the elevators,
but they began to grow heavy and it
was with difficulty that the elevator
man was able to put them into the up
position. At the same time the ship
was getting heavy all over from the
adherence Of ice, but did not take more
than about three-degree angle, as
the Akron can carry good many tons
Dramatically.
Ice Six Inches Thick.
We climbed to where the tempera-
ture was theoretically lower than the
ice-adherence value. The next morning
when daylight came we found that on
fho Of ~ al
was an accumulation of ice about six
inches thick and ice all over the top
of the ship. 1t was well into the middle
of the forenoon and practically over
the Gulf Stream before we were rid
of the ice. Without doubt, this was
one Of the severest situations that any
rigid airship has ever been in"
The Akron participated in two prob
lems-one in which she sought for the
destroyers Of the Scouting Force and
the other in which she searched for
the destroyers with the cruisers of the
Scouting Force Vice Admiral Arthur
l.. Willard, who was commandant of
the Washington Navy Yard until re-
Gently and is now commander, Scout
ing Force, in charge of the exercise,
radiOed a well done" for this work.
The Akron and the cruisers made con-
tact with the destroyers about 500 miles
of the Eastern Florida coast.
Lieut. Comdr. Rosendahl thus de-
scribes the return trip: I'VE then pro-
ceeded back, utilizing favorable winds.
landed and docked at Lakehurst about
8 O'Clock the morning of the 18th,
having completed a 62-hour flight, or
longer than any American airship has
previously flown. We still had approx
imately so per cent of our original
fuel supply left, as we had so shaped
our course as to utilize winds and con-
serve fuel"