The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-04-10
serious ERROR
IN NAVIGATING
AKRON Barred
Ships Course Changed so
Degrees Instead of IS;
Order Misunderstood.
SURVIVORS ARE QUIZZED
Wiley Tells of MiStake;
Body of Rear Admiral
Moffett Found.

TON, LAKEHURST, N. J. April
1O.-A mistake in carrying out the
orders OF the captain of the Akron
when the dirigible was fighting
storms on her final voyage was re-
vealed today IN testimony before the
naval court of inquiry.
Commander II. V. Wiley, only sur
viving officer, testified that Com
mander Frank c. McCOrd told HIM
that he had ordered a l5-degree
change in course.
The order was misunderstood, WI
ley said McCord told him, and the
course was changed to so degrees.
While the inquiry was proceed
ing, word was received that the body
of Rear Admiral William A. Moi
felt. navy air chief lost with the
Inflated dirigible, had been found
off the jersey coast.
Survivors Give Testimony
The three survivors of the tragedy
were called to testify as the navy, in
an atmosphere of sadness and trag-
edy, began its own investigation of
aviation's worst disaster.
Widows and relatives of men lost
on the Akron sat in the improvlsed
court room as the court convened.
Rear Admiral Henry V. Butler,
president of the court, made a brief
opening statement. He called at
tention to the presence of members
of the victims families and said,
This for us is not only serious
but a sad OCCASION
A torn and water soaked note
book, the property Of one of the
men who went down with the Ak
ron, was produced as one Of the
leading exhibits in the investigation.
The notebook was identified by
Wiley, as the property of Lieutenant
James H. Dugan of Gainesville, Md.
It was recovered Sunday by
searching vessels near the scene of
the disaster and rushed to the
courtroom.
Wiley said the observations noted
in the book agreed exactly with
his own recollections of the hours
preceding the fatal crash.
It contained details of buoyance,
static condition of the shop, and
other particulars not Immediately
followed up by questioning.
Wiley's Chart Introduced
Judge Advocate Pennoyer also in
troduced as evidence a chart drawn
from memory by Wiley to show the
course of the Akron before it ran
into the SCATTERING storm of Bar
negat light.
Wiley who said at the outset Of
the questioning that he had no
complaint against any officer OF the
Akron, amphhed the report he gave
Secretary of Navy Claude A. Swan
son last week.
He told of receiving word from
Rear Admiral Moffett that the adj
miral wanted to come from WASH
ington for the flight planned for
the Akron last Monday evening.
Wiley said he consulted weather
officials and found a low pressure
area over Michigan.
IT was outside our area of opera
tionS and was in no way a threat, y
he said.
The Astrological officer, Wiley said,
gave a forecast of light winds with
fog along the New jersey coast,
these conditions to continue in the
New England area the next day
My impression is that the cap
tain intended to stay in the New
Jersey area through the night, until
the unsettled conditions had moved
away Wiley said.
Salvage Craft at Work
Salvage ships conyerged upon the
Portland late Sunday u put aboard
all recovered wreckage from the
Akron. and it was expected that
pieces of the ship would be trans
ferred to Lakehurst today to serve
as mute witnesses in the investiga-
ton.
Ships and planes were ordered to
search with renewed vigilance for
bodies from the Akron, which at
last has begun to give up its dead.
The bodies of Commander Frank
c. McCord. master, ano Command
err Fred T. Berry, commander of
the Lakehurst naval air station,
were recovered Sunday about ten
miles from the place the Akron
crashed. SiXty-eight bodies remain
to be found