USS Akron ( ZRS - 4 ) USS " Akron " ( ZRS - 4 ) was a helium - filled rigid airship of the U . S . Navy that was destroyed in a thunderstorm off the coast of New Jersey on the morning of 4 April 1933 , killing 73 of her 76 crewmen and passengers . This accident was the largest loss of life for any known airship crash . During her accident - prone 18 - month term of service , the Akron also served as a flying aircraft carrier for launching and recovering F9C Sparrowhawk fighter plane s . With lengths of , shorter than the German commercial airship " Hindenburg " , " Akron " and her sister airship the were among the largest flying objects in the world . Although the " Hindenburg " was longer , she was filled with hydrogen , so the two U . S . airships still hold the world record for helium - filled airships . Construction and commissioning . Construction of " ZRS - 4 " commenced on October 31 , 1929 , at the Goodyear Airdock in Springfield Township , Ohio by the Goodyear - Zeppelin Corporation . Because she was the biggest airship ever to be built in America up to that point , a special hangar was constructed and a team of experienced German airship engineers , led by Chief Designer Karl Arnstein , instructed and supported design and construction of both U . S . Navy airships USS " Akron " and . On November 7 , 1931 , Rear Admiral William A . Moffett — the Chief of the U . S . Navy ' s Bureau of Aeronautics — drove the " golden rivet " in the ship ' s main ring . Erection of the hull sections began in March 1930 . On 10 May , Secretary of the Navy Charles Francis Adams chose the name " Akron " ( for the city near where she was being built ) and Assistant Secretary of the Navy Ernest Lee Jahncke announced it four days later , on 14 May 1930 . The airship ' s frame was built of the lightweight alloy duralumin . Once completed , the " Akron " could store of gasoline , which gave her a range of . Eight Maybach VL - 2 gasoline engines were mounted inside the hull . Each engine turned one twin - bladed propeller via a driveshaft which allowed the propeller to swivel vertically and horizontally . On August 8 , 1931 , the " Akron " was launched ( floated free of the hangar floor ) and christened by Mrs . Lou Henry Hoover , the wife of the President of the United States , Herbert Clark Hoover . The maiden flight of the " Akron " took place around Cleveland on the afternoon of 23 September with Secretary of the Navy Adams and Rear Admiral Moffett on board . The airship made eight more flights — principally over Lake Erie but ranging as far as Detroit , Michigan , Milwaukee , Wisconsin , Fort Wayne , Indiana , and Columbus , Ohio — before being flown from Akron to the Naval Air Station ( NAS ) at Lakehurst , New Jersey , where it was delivered to the Navy and commissioned on Navy Day , 27 October , with Lieutenant Commander Charles E . Rosendahl in command . The " Akron " had a unique feature , somewhat like the World War I German zeppelin spähkorb developed by Ernst Lehmann , for determining whether the air was clear below a fog bank to descend . A small weather station containing a radio transmitter was lowered on a cable and reported back to the " Akron " whether there was clear air below the fog or whether it reached all the way to the ground . Maiden voyage . On 2 November 1931 , the " Akron " cast off for a maiden voyage as a commissioned " ship " of the U . S . Navy and cruised down the eastern seaboard to Washington , D . C . Over the weeks that followed , some 300 hours aloft were logged in a series of flights , including a 46 - hour endurance flight to Mobile , Alabama , and back . The return leg of the trip was made via the valleys of the Mississippi River and the Ohio River . Participation in a search exercise , January 1932 . On the morning of January 9 , 1932 , the " Akron " exited Lakehurst to work with the Scouting Fleet on a search exercise . Proceeding to the coast of North Carolina , the " Akron " headed out over the Atlantic where she was assigned to find a group of destroyer s bound for Guantánamo Bay , Cuba . Once these were located , the airship was to shadow them and report their movements . Leaving coast of the North Carolina at about 7 : 21 on the morning of January 10 , the airship proceeded south , but bad weather prevented sighting the destroyers ( contact with them was missed at 12 : 40 EST , although their crews had sighted the " Akron " ) and eventually shaped a course toward the Bahama s by late afternoon . Heading northwesterly into the night , the " Akron " then changed course shortly before midnight and proceeded to the southeast . Ultimately , at 9 : 08 am on January 11 , the airship succeeded in spotting the light cruiser USS " Raleigh " ( CL - 7 ) and 12 destroyers , positively identifying them on the eastern horizon two minutes later . Sighting a second group of destroyers shortly thereafter , the " Akron " was released from the evaluation about 10 : 00 a . m . , having achieved a " qualified success " in the initial test with the Scouting Fleet . As the historian Richard K . Smith wrote in his definitive study , The Airships " Akron " and " Macon " , " . . . consideration given to the weather , duration of flight , a track of more than flown , her material deficiencies , and the rudimentary character of aerial navigation at that date , the " Akron " ' s performance was remarkable . There was not a military airplane in the world in 1932 which could have given the same performance , operating from the same base . " First accident ( February 1932 ) . The " Akron " was to have taken part in Fleet Problem XIII , but an accident at Lakehurst on 22 February 1932 , prevented the participation of the " Akron " . While the airship was being taken from her hangar , her tail came loose from its moorings , was caught by the wind , and struck the ground . The heaviest damage was confined to the lower fin area which required repair . Also , ground handling fittings had been torn from the main frame , necessitating repairs as well . The " Akron " was not certified as airworthy again until later in the spring . Its next operation took place on 28 April , when she made a nine - hour flight with Rear Admiral Moffett and Secretary of the Navy Adams aboard . As a result of this accident , a turntable with a walking beam on tracks powered by electric mine locomotives was developed to secure the tail and turn the " Akron " even in high winds so that it could be pulled into the massive hangar at Lakehurst naval air station . Testing of the " spy basket " . Soon after returning to Lakehurst to disembark its distinguished passengers , " Akron " took off again to conduct a test of the " spy basket " — something like a small airplane fuselage suspended beneath the airship that would enable an observer to serve as the ship ' s " eyes " below the clouds while the ship herself remained out of sight above them . Fortunately the basket was " manned " only by a sandbag as the contraption proved " frighteningly unstable " , swooping from one side of the airship to the other before the startled gazes of " Akron " s officers and men . It was never tried again . Experimental use as a " flying aircraft carrier " . " Akron " and sister " Macon " — which was still under construction — were regarded as potential " flying aircraft carrier s " , carrying parasite fighter s for reconnaissance . On May 3 , 1932 , " Akron " cruised over the coast of New Jersey with Rear Admiral George C . Day — President of the Board of Inspection and Survey — on board , and for the first time tested the " trapeze " installation for in - flight handling of aircraft . The aviator s who carried out those historic " landings " — first with a Consolidated N2Y trainer and then with the prototype Curtiss XF9C - 1 Sparrowhawk — were Lieutenant Daniel W . Harrigan and Lieutenant Howard L . Young . The following day , " Akron " carried out another demonstration flight , this time with members of the House Committee on Naval Affairs on board ; this time , Lieutenants Harrigan and Howard gave the lawmakers a demonstration of " Akron " s ability to handle aircraft . " Coast - to - Coast " flight & second accident ( May 1932 ) . Following the conclusion of those trial flights , " Akron " departed from Lakehurst , New Jersey on May 8 , 1932 , for the American west coast . The airship proceeded down the eastern seaboard to Georgia and then across the southern gulf states , continuing over Texas and Arizona . " En route " to Sunnyvale , California , " Akron " reached Camp Kearny in San Diego , on the morning of 11 May and attempted to moor . Since neither the trained ground handlers nor the specialized mooring equipment needed by an airship of " Akron " s size were present , the landing at Camp Kearny was fraught with danger . By the time the crew started the evaluation , the heat of the sun ' s rays had warmed the lifting helium gas , and the expenditure of fuel ( ) during the transcontinental trip had further lightened the airship , making the " Akron " all but uncontrollable . The mooring cable was cut to avert a catastrophic nose - stand by the errant airship and " Akron " floated upward . Most of the mooring crew — predominantly " boot " seamen from the Naval Training Station San Diego — let go of their lines . One man was carried into the air before he let go and suffered a broken arm , while three others were carried up even farther . Aviation Carpenter ' s Mate 3rd Class , Robert H . Edsall , and Apprentice Seaman , Nigel M . Henton , plunged to their deaths . A third man , Apprentice Seaman , C . M . " Bud " Cowart , had grasped desperately to his line and made himself fast to it before he was hoisted aboard " Akron " an hour later . Nevertheless , the " Akron " moored at Camp Kearny later that day and then proceeded to Sunnyvale , California . The deadly accident was recorded on newsreel film . West Coast flights . Over the weeks that followed , " Akron " " showed the flag " on the West Coast of the United States , ranging as far north as the Canadian border before returning south in time to exercise once more with the Scouting Fleet . Serving as part of the " Green Force " , the " Akron " attempted to locate the " White Force " . Although opposed by Vought O2U Corsair floatplane s from " enemy " warship s , the airship located the opposing forces in just 22 hours — fact not lost upon some of the participants in the exercise in subsequent critiques . In need of repairs , " Akron " departed from Sunnyvale on 11 June bound for Lakehurst , New Jersey , on a return trip that was sprinkled with difficulties , mostly because of unfavorable weather , and she arrived on 15 June after a " long and sometimes harrowing " aerial voyage . The " Akron " next underwent a period of voyage repairs before taking part in July in a search for the " Curlew " , a yacht which had failed to reach port at the end of a race to the island of Bermuda . The yacht was later discovered safe off Nantucket . She then resumed operations capturing aircraft on her " trapeze " equipment . Admiral Moffett again boarded " Akron " on 20 July , but the next day left the airship in one of her N2Y - 1s which took him back to Lakehurst after a severe storm had delayed the airship ' s own return to base . Further tests as " flying aircraft carrier " . " Akron " entered a new phase of her career that summer engaging in intense experimentation with the revolutionary " trapeze " and a full complement of F9C - 2s . A key element of the entrance into that new phase was a new commanding officer , Commander Alger Dresel . Third accident ( August 1932 ) . Another accident hampered this vital training on 22 August when " Akron " s tail fin became fouled by a beam in Lakehurst ' s massive Hangar No 1 after a premature order to commence towing the ship out of the mooring circle . Nevertheless , rapid repairs enabled eight more flights over the Atlantic during the last three months of 1932 . These operations involved intensive work with the trapeze and the F9C - 2s , as well as the drilling of lookouts and gun crews . Among the tasks undertaken were the maintenance of two aircraft patrolling and scouting on " Akron " s flanks . During a seven - hour period on 18 November 1932 , the airship and a trio of planes searched a sector wide . Return to the fleet . After local operations out of Lakehurst for the remainder of 1932 , " Akron " was ready to resume operations with the fleet . On the afternoon of 3 January 1933 , Commander Frank C . McCord relieved Commander Dresel as commanding officer , the latter becoming " Macon " s first captain . Within hours , " Akron " headed south down the eastern seaboard toward Florida where , after refueling at the Naval Reserve Aviation Base , Opa - locka , Florida , near Miami , the next day proceeded to Guantánamo Bay for an inspection of base sites . At this time the N2Y - 1s were used to provide aerial " taxi " service to ferry members of the inspection party back and forth . Soon thereafter , " Akron " returned to Lakehurst for local operations which were interrupted by a two - week overhaul and poor weather . In March , she carried out intensive training with an aviation unit of F9C - 2s , honing hook - on skills . During the course of these operations , an overfly of Washington DC was made 4 March 1933 , the day Franklin D . Roosevelt took the oath of office as President of the United States . On 11 March , " Akron " departed Lakehurst bound for Panama stopping briefly " en route " at Opa - Locka before proceeding on to Balboa where an inspection party looked over a potential air base site . While returning northward , the airship paused at Opa - Locka again for local operations exercising gun crews , with the N2Y - 1s serving as targets , before getting underway for Lakehurst on 22 March . Fourth accident and loss of USS " Akron " ( April 1933 ) . On the evening of 3 April 1933 , " Akron " cast off from the mooring mast to operate along the coast of New England , assisting in the calibration of radio direction finder stations . Rear Admiral Moffett was again on board along with his aide , Commander Henry Barton Cecil , Commander Fred T . Berry , the commanding officer of NAS Lakehurst , and Lieutenant Colonel Alfred F . Masury , USAR , a guest of the admiral , vice - president of the Mack Truck Co . , and strong proponent of the potential civilian uses of rigid airships . " Akron " soon encountered severe weather , which did not improve when the airship passed over Barnegat Light , New Jersey at 10 : 00 pm as wind gusts of terrific force struck its massive airframe . The airship was being flown into an area of lower barometric pressure than at take - off , which caused the actual altitude flown to be lower than that indicated in the control gondola . Around 12 : 30 am on 4 April , " Akron " was caught by an updraft , followed almost immediately by a downdraft . Commander McCord — the captain — ordered full speed ahead , ballast dropped . The executive officer — LCDR Herbert V . Wiley — handled the ballast and emptied the bow emergency ballast . Coupled with the elevator man holding nose up , this caused the nose to rise and the tail to rotate down . " Akron " s descent was only temporarily halted , whereupon downdrafts forced the airship down farther . Wiley activated the 18 " howlers " of the ship ' s telephone system , a signal to landing stations . At this point , " Akron " was nose up , between 12 and 25° . The Engineering Officer called out " 800 feet " ( 240 m ) , which was followed by a " gust " of intense violence . The steersman reported no response to his wheel as the lower rudder cables had been torn away . While the control gondola was still hundreds of feet high , the lower fin of " Akron " had struck the water and was torn off . ZRS4 rapidly broke up and sank in the stormy Atlantic . " Akron " had been lost owing to operator error , having been flown to sea into an intense storm front . The crew of the nearby German motorship " Phoebus " saw lights descending toward the ocean at about 12 : 23 and altered course to starboard to investigate , believing they were witnessing a plane crash . At 12 : 55 , an unconscious Commander Wiley was pulled from the water while the ship ' s boat picked up three more men : Chief Radioman Robert W . Copeland , Boatswain ' s Mate Second Class Richard E . Deal , and Aviation Metalsmith Second Class Moody E . Erwin . Despite artificial respiration , Copeland never regained consciousness and died aboard " Phoebus " . Although the German sailors spotted four or five other men in the water , they did not know their ship had chanced upon the crash of " Akron " until Lieutenant Commander Wiley regained consciousness half an hour after being rescued . The crew of " Phoebus " combed the ocean in boats for over five hours in a fruitless search for more survivors . The Navy blimp " J - 3 " — sent out to join the search — also crashed , with the loss of two men . The United States Coast Guard cutter — the first American vessel on the scene — arrived at 6 : 00 , taking " Akron " s survivors and the body of Copeland aboard . Among the other ships combing the area for survivors were the heavy cruiser , the destroyer , the Coast Guard cutter " Mojave " , and the Coast Guard destroyers " McDougal " and " Hunt " , as well as two Coast Guard aircraft . The F / V Grace F out of Gloucester MA also assisted in the search , employing her seining gear in an effort to recover bodies . Most casualties had been caused by drowning and hypothermia , as the crew had not been issued life jackets , and there had not been time to deploy the single life raft . The accident left 73 dead , and only three survivors . Wiley , standing next to the two other survivors , gave a brief account on 6 April . Aftermath of the loss of USS " Akron " . " Akron " s loss spelled the beginning of the end for the rigid airship in the US Navy , especially since one of its leading proponents , Rear Admiral William A . Moffett , was killed with 72 other men . As President Roosevelt commented afterward : " The loss of the " Akron " with its crew of gallant officers and men is a national disaster . I grieve with the Nation and especially with the wives and families of the men who were lost . Ships can be replaced , but the Nation can ill afford to lose such men as Rear Admiral William A . Moffett and his shipmates who died with him upholding to the end the finest traditions of the United States Navy . " The USS " Macon " and other airships received life jackets to avert a repetition of this tragedy . The songwriter Bob Miller wrote and recorded a song — " The Crash of the " Akron " " — within one day of the disaster .