Evening star., 1933-04-04
|MOFFETT BACKED
A|RSH|P BUILDING
Championed Cause of Craft
Despite Storm of Criticism
Over Shenandoah.

Rear Admiral William A. Moffett,
who was aboard the Akron when it 1tll
into the sea early today. probably has
given his life in championing through
eight years-since the destruction of
the dirigible Shenandoah in 1e25-the
cause of lighter-than-air craft, in
which he never lost faith.
AS the Navy's first and only aero
nautics chief. the development of
lighter -than-air craft in America is
largely due, it was said in official cir
cles. to the vision, determination and
untiring efforts of Admiral Moffett.
For IL years, as chief of the Bureau of
Aeronautics and particularly when
popular belief in the airship was shat
tered by the tragedy of the Shenan-
doah, Admiral Moffett advocated and
pushed ahead in the face of discourag-
ing setbacks. the building of more and
bigger dirigibles. The results of these
efforts were seen in the completion of
the Akron and the recent launching
of the dirigible Macon.
I Was to Have Retired.
, Admiral Moffett's third term would
have expired officially on April %, just
four years after the date of his con-
firmation by the Senate. In November
he was to have retired from active
service after q career of 43 years since
his graduation from the Naval Acad-
emy in 1890. His career in the Navy
has included service en- wooden ships,
modern steel battleships and aircraft.
He received his baptism of fire as an
ensign under Admiral Dewey at the
battle of Manila Bay.
1t was in the development of naval
aeronautics that Admiral Moffett made
for himself a name ranking among
the foremost in the world. When IA
men were killed on the Shenandoah,
Admiral Moffett almost single-handed
faced the storm of criticism that broke
in Congress, directed at the suitability
Of the airship in aviation. He fought
and won that battle when the whole
cause Of lighter-than-air craft ap-
peared at stake His faith IN this
form of aeronautics never diminished
and was demonstrated in his last of
f1cial act. when he went aboard the
akron on its final voyage.
Admiral Moffett left the Navy De-
partment at l O'Clock yesterday to drive
to Lakehurst for the flight. He fire.
quently was aboard during the huge
crafts weekly training jaunts and had
it not been for him it is entirely pos
sible that the Akron and her successor,
the Macon, would not have been built.
Popular Naval Officer.
Admiral Moffett's genial personality,
which made him one of the best liked
officers in the service, helped smooth
out differences In the Navy that de-
veloped over the airship.
He was named chief Of the newly
organized Bureau of Aeronautics by
President Harding in July, 1921, and
assumed his duties in September. He
was reappointed by President Coolidge
in March, 1925, and was named again
for a four-year period on March 49,
1929, by President Hoover on the rec
ommendation of Secretary of the Navy
Charles Francis Adams.
Admiral Moffett was born in Charles
ton, S. c., October 81. 1869. He saw
service on board the Charleston during
the Spanish-American War, taking part
in the battle Of Manila Bay. In the
trouble with Mexico he commanded
the cruiser Chester during the occu-
patton OF Vera Cruz in 1914, and was
awarded the Congressional Medal of
Honor for heroic service.
From 1914 to 1918 Admiral Moffett
commanded the United States Naval
Training Station at Great Lakes. H.,
later being named commandant Of the
Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Naval Dis
trictS. Then captain, he received the
Navy Distinguished Service Medal for
this service. From the Great Lakes he
went to command the u S. S. Missis-
sippi after the war. A little later he
turned to aviation, which has been his
chief interest since.
Served as United States Adviser.
Admiral Moffett served as the tecb
nical adviser to the American delega-
tion at the Washington Limitation of
Armaments Conference in 1922 and
was technical adviser at the London
Conference in 1880.
Under him in the last IL years naval
aeronautics have advanced to a re-
markable degree. The bureau i'm
mediately took as its aim the develop
ment of aviation in the fleet. 1t recog-
nized the importance of observation,
patrol and pursuit planes to the ships
at sea and to this end had seaplane
catapults installed on all cruisers and
battleships.