The history of airships is littered with disasters. For another airship story, try this video, which covers the crash of Britain's R101 in 1930: th-cam.com/video/o5KqMMKKiIg/w-d-xo.html
Agreed. My favourite sound on TH-cam. And on a nerdy note, I remember reading that after the Shenandoah crashed, some ghoulish but enterprising local businessman went out, cut strips from the skin of it and tailored them into raincoats called 'Shenandoah Slickers'.
There were still airships floating around when I was a kid, back in the 90's. It wasn't rare for me to see one or two every now and then. I was very confused when they stopped appearing.
The Hindenburg desaster has spectacular, iconic footage, quite rare for that time. That's why everyone still knows about it almost 90 years later, while accidents with more fatalities are forgotten.
I'd say that the casualties being mostly civilians is also a contributing factor, but I have to concede that having actual footage is the bigger influence.
Old photos of airships hovering over cities are so surreal. Today, it feels like we're stuck in our technology, it makes me want to go back to a time of innovation and wonder. I probably wouldn't get on one of those airships though...
Yeah no! Look at airplane travel… safest mode of transportation with less than 1% chance of death yet still so many crashes and mishaps. These airships were falling out of the sky every other week!
@@mikezerker6925 Regardless of this so called fact, I rather stay clear of any form of flight, because a lot of the time, when something major goes wrong, it tends to end up with people dying and personally, I want to live!
@@davidcox3076Yes, but that's on the deck of a boat - not dangling for dear life hundreds of feet in the air, using what remains of your strength just to grip, let alone maneuver yourself to tie yourself up! It's incredible!
@@davidcox3076 Even experienced rock climbers and mountaineers have a very limited number of knots that it's possible to tie one handed, and the chances of doing one of those isn't all that high when dangling in free space while holding on for your life! He must have had an unusual combination of strength, ropework skill, and determination! Respect for managing to do whatever was needed to survive that unexpected situation!
When I was a Boy Scout 62 years ago, we learned to tie the bowline using the "up the hole, around the tree, back down the hole" method and using two hands. Scoutmaster said, "You fell off a cliff but caught a bush on the way down. I just threw you a rope. Now what're you gonna do?" Nobody could think of anything. "You're gonna tie a bowline around your waist." "Can't," we all said. "It takes two hands." "No, it doesn't," the man replied. Sailor that he had been in WWII, he showed us the one-handed way. On the next camping trip, with a rope thrown over a tree limb, everyone practiced the method several times to get the 'hang' of it. Luckily, I never had the 'opportunity' to use the method for real, but we were PREPARED.
If the USA had allowed the Germans to buy helium from them she wouldn't have burned up, but it was considered a strategic resource and so the Germans were forced to use hydrogen instead.
Pretty sure you can omit "for giant airships" there. [/"obligatory" New Jersey jab] But yeah, it's a bit weird. Wonder if it was primarily caused by typical weather patterns in that area at the time or something else.
My dad worked for Goodyear in the 90s and we got to go up in the Goodyear blimp because he was the top salesman of the year. One of the most unique experiences of my life.
I heard they did that as a reward to employees! As I understand, those employees and their families were the only actual passengers carried on the Goodyear blimps after a certain date. (Not including contractors, like camera operators and sports broadcasters.)
When I was about 8 years old (1970?) I heard what I thought was a REALLY low airplane. I ran outside to look and saw the Goodyear Blimp. I had never even heard of one and thought it was the end of the world. "Grandpa!! A big balloon thing!!" He explained to me what it was, having fought in WWI and obviously seeing many of them.
@@chrisbannerman2506 I lived in Mogadore and visited Wingfoot Lake a lot. Those blimps always flew over my house. Fun to see, but I'd never get in one if I had the chance lol
I'm 75 now and have lived in Akron my whole life. The photos of the old Goodyear Air Dock in the Akron Fulton Airport are great and since my early age I was told that it was built as and for many years was the largest non-internally supported structure in the world. It still looks awesome today but all of the ships are now home based at Goodyears air dock at Wingfoot Lake ten miles East where flight training and repairs are carried out. Every few years Goodyear's four ships can be seen above Akron in formation for a few days and it's very impressive indeed.
Pretty cool! I believe I have seen the Goodyear blimp as well, grew up driving by one of only two wooden airship hangers left in the US, until the one near us burnt down back in the 90’s. TCOM still makes airships out of there to this day, one of few major employers in a rural area of NC. Most of the ships and balloons now are weather or military surveillance of some kind.
My Great-Uncle was a Crewman on board the Akron when she went down. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend both the 60th and 70th Anniversary Memorial services at Lakehurst, NJ
I thank him for his service to our country. My condolences to your family. My dad was in the Navy. Worked on an aircraft carrier. Never flew. The military is so diverse. Opportunities are endless for what they can do no matter what branch they enlist in.
As was my great uncle, Robert Copeland. He was the radioman. He was rescued from the sea when the Akron went down but died before they reached the shore
Been a fan of this channel for ages and ages now. Loved it since several years ago and the quality has never dropped since. Thanks for another great video on a topic I'd never heard of.
if you look up D-LZFN at flightradar you‘ll find a modern airship that does regular flights from Friedrichshafen, Germany. But it’s just a sightseeing flight, landing back where it started.. It flies with Helium, so it should be safer than the original Zeppelins at least 😅
I've also seen that, can't remember where. It was quite a long time ago, possibly part of a documentary or something. It was a terrible thing to watch.
I remember watching footage of that accident when broadcast on an aviation history series called Reaching for the Skies. This was about 40 years ago, and I remain horrified. RIP Nigel Merton Henton, RIP Robert Harold Edsall.
I saw it in a documentary series about flight called Reaching for the Skies from the late 80s, specifically the episode called Lighter than Air. It's quite good, and holds up very well today for being 35 years old. It's on TH-cam as well I think.
The home of the USS Macon, Hangar One at the airfield now named for Admiral Moffett in Mountain View, CA, is still there and a renovation project which started over a decade ago is nearly complete. There was a lot of toxic material used in its construction, making the renovation a challenge. It remains one of the largest freestanding structures in the world, measured by usable interior space.
Don't forget the other airship / blimp hangars remaining around the country. I myself have visited Hangar B at (former) Naval Air Station Tillamook, which is now a small (ironic!) Air Museum. Only about a third of the hangar is actually used as a museum- the rest is cold storage, both for locals and some of the other historical organizations who've arranged their large items in a way that can also be seen by museum patrons, but in my opinion it's worth it to see one of the largest freestanding wooden buildings in the world. Unfortunately Hangar A burned down in the 90s.
Parts of a recent Star Trek movie were filmed there. The hangars for the British R100 & R101 are still there in the U.K. I've seen them from a train window. A friend of mine has a piece of fabric from the R100 after repairs were done in Montreal.
At one time there were three of those hangars at Moffett Field, complete with train rails running through. And when the weather was right, it could rain inside (or so I've been told)
😂 Right?! I liked that group picture with the man nicknamed "Lucky". He'd survived other airship crashes. Looked like he was seriously, at that point, doubting his life choices.🙃 I hope he retired. Thank you for your service, sir.🇺🇸 Wonder if he ever flew in an airplane after that.🤷🏼♀️
Sorry, but the conversation would be more like: It's your turn to go in the Cloud Car, that's an order. The Germans didn't mind getting that task assigned to them as it meant they were allowed to smoke in it, something that was forbidden on their hydrogen filled airships.
I adore this channel so much, it got me interested in Public Health 4-5 years ago. I’m an Epidemiology major, on track to get my Bachelors soon, due to a combination of the Pandemic and this channel. Genuinely life impacting channel, thank you :)
More than lucky, he was strong enough to tie the rope around him and keep his grip long enough to be rescued, on top of having the clarity of mind to actually do it. Although the smartest men were the ones that did let go of the rope while still on the ground.
The difference between him and the two that fell is that he was standing on the toggles at the end of the lines while the other two were just hanging from those toggles so could only use their arm strength to hang on with.
There’s something timeless about certain melodies, especially when an opening piano riff captures so much emotion and nostalgia. It’s amazing how a few notes can bring back memories, set the mood, or transport you to another time. Holding onto that magic over the years shows how powerful music can be-it’s like a familiar friend that’s been with you through it all. Thanks for appreciating it and keeping that connection alive!
I don't think it's a myth, but it's not the whole story either. I believe they added a mooring post to the top to increase its overall height and surpass the Chrysler building. The mooring station wasn't fit for purpose and airships faded out of use but the main objective of becoming the largest skyscraper in Manhattan was achieved!
There is film of the only docking attempt. Small turbulence is still gonna be like banging the ship against the dock. They might have suspected, further on the whole ship would swing crazy wild around like the tether car did. King Kong falling off and part of the tower too!
@@echodelta9 But there was no dock....no ramp....it was a stunt done (and in terrible 40mph conditions).....but there was no 'docking station' where people could have gotten off. No 'dock' ever existed.
@@nickbumble2240 Nope. Empire State added a spire but no 'docking station' or any way to get people from an airship to the building....EVER. They didn't even attempt to make a way for people to go from an airship to the building. The spire was completely unrelated.
When I was a kid in the 70s one of the first models I ever built was of the USS Akron. It hung in my bedroom for years. And ever since I was a kid I have loved those airships. I think there are some of the most beautiful things humanity has ever created.
They are certainly graceful. I always thought it would be a great way to travel - slow and leisurely, and not so high that you couldn't see a lot of detail on the ground. Precarious in bad weather, though.
The one in the video is still there, they have just about finished restoring it. It has so much volume it can develop its own weather system inside, just like the main building at Boeing.
@@somethingsomething404 as far as I know from research and people that had parents working there. the short answer is no. what I gathered is mainly condensations building up but not close to what you'd think. I also live in Akron right down the road from even the good year blimp hanger. ps every year the good year blimp takes about 25 pot shots from people being people in a year
@@somethingsomething404 I don't know about the one in Akron, but the one we have in Oregon does develop mist and water can fall from the roof joists - so, not exactly rain from clouds, but still very weird to have to use an umbrella indoors!
The giant hanger is still in Akron, Ohio and it now supports a fleet of Goodyear blimps. We see them frequently in this area of Ohio. A few weeks ago, I saw three flying in a line while driving through Suffield, OH. Yes, airships are mostly obsolete. But, not these. They are used to get video of football games and other events among other things and must be profitable.
Actually Goodyear uses a smaller hanger at Wingfoot Lake, near Suffield, Ohio to house their blimps. The old Goodyear Airdock in Akron (by Soapbox Derby Downs) is abandoned, not sure if Lockheed Martin or Parker Hannifin owns the Airdock now. Goodyear sold it to Lorel (1986) which was taken over by Lockheed Martin 1997.
There is a woman in Oklahoma who saw the Hindenburg crash. She was a young girl when it happened. She says memories like that will never leave you. She thought the people jumping out were ants.
At 7:25, the question arose as to if the Akron was cursed. Well, construction DID begin on Halloween 1929 in Akron, OH, and the chief engineer on the project WAS named Clark Jinks. And most of all, the crew was doomed by the Titanic-style stupidity of the usual suspects - THOSE IN CHARGE, who were responsible for operating an airship over the ocean and having no Life Savers aboard. No Pep-O-Mint, Spear-O-Mint, Wint-O-Green, nothing.
Like, I know this is a low bar, but thank you for pronouncing Akron correctly 😭 You're the first TH-camr I've come across to actually look up the pronunciation and used it.
My grandfather's photography studio developed photos of the wreck of the Shenandoah, and he kept copies. They're absolutely fascinating to look through.
If there are any unpublished photos I'm sure an airship historical society would love to have the images. Many such things get lost over time so please make sure these don't join them.
I have a primordially smooth brain, every time he posts, I click, class at seven be damned, watching this at 3:am my time shout out viewers in the US West!!
Pity you aren't here. You posted 3 hrs ago. It's 9:21 here. You coulda been brushing your teeth, watching a little wake me up on your way to class if you lived here. Lol
@lawrencelewis2592 essentially a feature-length advert for the USN, filmed with the complete support and assistance of the Navy Department. I believe in '33 base pay was some $21/month, yet Cagney always seems to have 20 bucks to toss to a shipmate. Five decades on I rarely had 20 to spare (retired in '98). Enjoyable movie anyway, great footage of the USS Arizona (RIP).
I think that one of the main reasons (other than the iconic film footage) that the Hindenburg is much better known is that disasters involving civilian deaths tend to draw more attention than those involving servicemen and women. While most viewers of this channel have likely heard of the RMS Titanic, I would guess that far fewer know anything about the deadliest shipwreck of all time, the sinking of the M/V Wilhelm Gustloff. Also, airships and blimps are not the same thing. Airships were built with a rigid airframe, blimps are more like a balloon. In WWII, the Army used blimps, not airships. Oops, I was wrong - just checked and see that dirigibles, zeppelins, and blimps are all classified as airships; dirigibles and zeppelins having rigid airframes.
That's right. A blimp is not a zeppelin and a zeppelin is not a blimp, but blimps and zeppelins (and dirigibles) are airships. (Dirigible is French for "steerable", named at the time to differentiate them from any balloon-type airship that was not steerable, so I guess technically anything that we would think of as an airship is also a dirigible. I think the term became outmoded pretty early on, but somehow it stuck around anyway.)
The name "blimp" came from the British who classified airships as "A" for rigid ones and "B" for non-rigid, or "limp" ones. They ran the letters together and got "Blimp"
10:04 Wow and I thought that crew sleeping spaces onboard naval vessels and submarines were tight and scary. Those "bunks" don't look very comfortable and knowing you are in a "room" that has a thin wall separating you from a very long fall. Also the noise of the engines and the wind outside. Don't know how anyone could sleep there no matter how tired they were.
I struggle to stay awake to your videos. Not because the content is dull (it's not!!), but your voice is so soothing it lulls me to sleep. I fight to pay attention to them and often have to rewind because I missed a few minutes 😂
I live in Akron and in the 80's and most of the 90s blimps flying overhead were pretty common. A very impressive sight because they moved so slow you could watch them for quite while. We always watched for them flying out to the pro football games. My father-in-law used to fit the windows into the blimps.
I was wondering the other day about such vehicles-we used to see them here in the Midwest in the 1960s and 70s (and possibly the early 80s?) on a somewhat regular basis. But they were rare enough even then that I remember my mom deciding to follow one on local roads for a while just for the fun of it-we’d been on our way to a nearby town but abandoned that destination for a little while. I miss seeing these wondrous blimps.
Every year growing up I was able to see one floating over my house, covering the Arlington Million. This would have been through the 80s. It was something you knew was special and now is such a unique memory.
I’m now a retired truck driver. I remember the airship hangers in Akron. They were used as warehouses for many companies back then. You would drive in and back up to one of several loading/unloading docks for the different companies housed there.
Fun fact, I happen to own an Indiana Jones novel from the 90’s, Indiana Jones and the Philosophers’ Stone, and part of the plot has Indy ride on the Akron’s sister airship, the Macon. He used to get to Europe quickly and the bad guys (Fascist Italians) infiltrated it with intent to blow it up with a bomb. There’s even a section in the back of the book talking about both airships and what happened to both the Akron and Macon.
Thank you! Been always aware of Hindenburg, but had no idea of this one. Your channel is awesome, i'm a long time fan, thank you for making amazing content, one of the channels that make TH-cam worth..
I've heard of the USS Akron crash and the effect it has on the development of airships in the U.S. but this is the first time I've heard more people died from the crash than in the Hindenburg disaster. That fact doesn't seem to get covered as much (which is a shame ) but I guess the reason is because the Hindenburg was witnessed by many people and covered live on the air as it occurred and was captured on film
Could be because most of the deaths on the USS Akron from drowning, they did not carry life jackets or inflatable lifeboats. The USS Macon (same size Airship as USS Akron) did carry life jackets and inflatable lifeboats, so most of the crew survived that water crash.
Miracoulsy there is one of those Sparrowhawks is still in existence. Only 7 were ever made and most interwar aircraft are long gone either to the scrapyards or the second world war. It's a true gem.
I was born at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station medical center in 1951. My dad was a Navy flier. While growing up, he told me many stories about accidents of blimps, including the Akron and Hindenburg. Thank you for this. It brings back memories of my dad.
Airships are still being made in the US at T-Com in Elizabeth City NC. They are tethered with long lines that allow the ships to ascend several thousand feet. They are outfitted with cameras, FLIR, etc and are used by countries for reconnaissance. They are double walled and can withstand small arms fire.
11:19 actually given development over the past fifteen years, airships are likely going to make something of a comeback as freighters (faster than a boat but more efficient than an airplane)
I doubt it. Airships only hold an advantage over helicopters, since they don't need to spend energy to maintain stationary flight. To go from point A to point B, the airship just doesn't have any edge to stand out. You want your cargo to be delivered either cheaply or quickly (ideally both). An airship isn't even close to the speed of an airplane, and it costs more than regular shipping.
@@nhmooytis7058 Ha! Yes and yes. Also from Akron born and raised. I have been all over the country and Akron definitely isn't as bad as some make it out to be. But hell maybe I am a bit biased or just used to it. 🤷😅
I lived in Akron back when working for Goodyear Aerospace, had to leave once laid off. Tough and sad to see all the layoffs in the 80's and 90's, Firestone, BF Goodrich, General, Uniroyal all gone; Goodyear a shell of itself. Live in rural Ohio now, retired to farming.
I’ve had the opportunity to visit one of the last surviving blimp hangars from wwii, the scale of these things are insane. If any of you get the chance to visit one of the hangars you definitely should
The Hindenburg, part of DELAG Airways company, was constructed by the Zeppelin company in Austria, from memory. During DELAG's operations, the Hindenburg was the only fatal accident in the company's long, accident free reputation known for it's safety, as well as the luxurious appointments. And a company fort making safety their number one concern. Most passengers survived.
DELAG was in Friedrichshafen at the Bodensee (Lake Constance) at the border to Switzerland and Austria, but in German (the DE standing for Deutsche) but they had the advantage of hiring all the Zeppelin crewmembers with experience from WW1. In contrary to almost everyone else the german civilian airship program had a core of people who had been flying dirigibles for 30 years by the time of the Hindenburg crash, many of them having flown in wartime against enemy opposition. That was a level of experience no one else had, not even the US navy.
Shame the Nazis took over, that marked her death knell. The Americans stopped selling Germany inert helium, so Hindenburg was filled with highly flammable hydrogen, and when critical mass was reached, the disastrous set of catalysts, she caught on fire. Maybe if R101, Akron and Hindenburg hadn't crashed, we'd still be taking intercontinental airship flights.
I just subscribed. Excellent and educational video; thank you for creating it. Prior to watching your video I had heard of this disaster but I I knew very few details so, I found your video very informative. Cheers.
A story on the Shenandoah would be interesting. I’ve heard so many stories about people descending on the crash site and looting the dead not to mention stealing parts of the airship and the ship’s log. It might have answered questions about the events leading up to the crash.
Something that big does not survive 65+mph winds in the mid-west. It left the Ohio State Fair that evening, and was headed east when it crashed. My father, aged 4 at the time, walked about 4 miles to the Sharon crash site where there more survivors. The Ava crash site is visible from I-77 southbound north of Belle Valley, Ohio. Noble county is planning a large memorial for the 100 year anniversary September 3, 2025. I graduated from Shenandoah High School, named after the USS Shenandoah. Coincidently our nickname was the "Zeps", short for Zepplin. The high school lobby has a photo donated by Capt. Lansdowne's widow in 1963. About 10 years later, there was a family that pulled carrots from their garden, and one carrot had grown through Capt. Lansdowne's lost wedding ring. They returned to it the widow. The wikipedia article is fairly good, but us locals knew lots more.
My favorite book series involves what-if ideas like dirigibles being the dominant method of flight. The first book is Hard Magic. It's a 1930s alternate history where some people have powers, like controlling certain elements or gravity.
In WW1 the briitish used small airships, basically a wingless airplane fuselage slung under a balloon-used to hunt for submarines, they had a longer range than heavier than air ships-perfect for patrols.
I visited an air museum near the Oregon coast as a young man and it was all inside a gigantic blimp hanger. At one time it was the largest freestanding wooden structure west of the mason/dixon. It was a real experience that I hope to never forget despite age doing a number on my brain already.
It's still there, and yes, it's still the largest freestanding wood structure in the world. We were wandering through on a rainy winter weekday a few years ago and they had big band music playing through small speakers near the entrance. Hearing Tommy Dorsey gently echoing through the quiet structure while we were looking at WWII era fighters was so beautifully eerie.
I live near Lakehurst. I’ve held pieces of the Akron as well as the Hindenburg, Shenandoah, and Los Angeles working at local historical societies. I’ve also been inside the hangar where they were all stored (except for the Hindenburg). The hangars are unreal to stand in, they’re so huge.
When I was a little kid living on the Military base in Munich Germany in the 1950's I saw Zeppelins fly over head several times. It was an amazing sight and one of my earliest memories. Thanks for the video.
I grew up near Akron, Ohio, and seeing the Goodyear Blimps used to be a common sight. It was always an amazing and beautiful sight and a feeling of pride to see the massive blimps floating quietly through the skies.
As someone who does not like heights (at all), you would not believe the spike my blood pressure had when those four crewmen were lifted into the air. Perhaps it’s a good thing that airships never caught on.
I think the Goodyear blimps survive because they are not SUPER-SIZED and they have excess engine capacity to resist diving and crashing when downdrafts happen.
I first learned about the USS Akron from an A&E documentary on airships. I still have the January 1992 National Geographic magazine on the sister ship - the USS Macon, I continue to use this magazine as a source when discussing the Akron and the Macon. I have actually seen the last surviving Curtis F9C Sparrowhawks, when it was still at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida during my trip in June 2001. The US Army had its own airship disaster too - the USS Roma, which occurred on 21 February 1922, at Norfolk, Virginia, after the airship with 45 crew members on board, crashed straight into the ground and high voltage wires, after structural failure in the steering and the rigid airframe, this accident killed 34 including the captain. The Roma disaster was the worst airship disaster up to that point, the Roma remains the first and only American airship to use hydrogen for lift, and this accident ended the US Army's zeppelin programme.
The history of airships is littered with disasters. For another airship story, try this video, which covers the crash of Britain's R101 in 1930: th-cam.com/video/o5KqMMKKiIg/w-d-xo.html
The story of the airship Italia would make a fine subject for and episode of Facinating Horror.
@@enscroggsThey should cover the triumph of the Norge before the canabalistic horror of the Italia.
Man there's always something magical about that opening piano. Thanks for keeping it all these years
Agreed. My favourite sound on TH-cam. And on a nerdy note, I remember reading that after the Shenandoah crashed, some ghoulish but enterprising local businessman went out, cut strips from the skin of it and tailored them into raincoats called 'Shenandoah Slickers'.
There were still airships floating around when I was a kid, back in the 90's. It wasn't rare for me to see one or two every now and then. I was very confused when they stopped appearing.
It IS magical, I know we're in for a well told story
I find myself humming the tune a lot lol
loooool, that opening piano gives very like... 2009 Animal Planet show covering cryptids across North America. 😭😭I kinda love it
The Hindenburg desaster has spectacular, iconic footage, quite rare for that time. That's why everyone still knows about it almost 90 years later, while accidents with more fatalities are forgotten.
I'd say that the casualties being mostly civilians is also a contributing factor, but I have to concede that having actual footage is the bigger influence.
Also quotable dialogue.
@@DisFantasy “Oh, the humanity!” is now locked into our collective memory forever more.
Someone recently used AI to clean the footage up and add color to it. It's pretty spectacular, but I still prefer it the way it was.
@@jus10lewissrDo you have a link to that?
Old photos of airships hovering over cities are so surreal. Today, it feels like we're stuck in our technology, it makes me want to go back to a time of innovation and wonder. I probably wouldn't get on one of those airships though...
I live in a place where an aiship is almost up every day. Tourists can make a tour around the Lake with it. It's pretty expensive though.
Yeah no! Look at airplane travel… safest mode of transportation with less than 1% chance of death yet still so many crashes and mishaps.
These airships were falling out of the sky every other week!
The irony of using helium and then drowning is tragic.
@@mikezerker6925 Regardless of this so called fact, I rather stay clear of any form of flight, because a lot of the time, when something major goes wrong, it tends to end up with people dying and personally, I want to live!
In Akron Ohio this is still a regular sight. Goodyear flies a large blimp when the weather is nice.
6:54 to be able to tie a line around yourself whilst hanging from it is an impressive feat of strength!
True. And remember that he was as sailor. They tend to be good with ropes and knots.
@@davidcox3076Yes, but that's on the deck of a boat - not dangling for dear life hundreds of feet in the air, using what remains of your strength just to grip, let alone maneuver yourself to tie yourself up! It's incredible!
@@davidcox3076 Even experienced rock climbers and mountaineers have a very limited number of knots that it's possible to tie one handed, and the chances of doing one of those isn't all that high when dangling in free space while holding on for your life! He must have had an unusual combination of strength, ropework skill, and determination! Respect for managing to do whatever was needed to survive that unexpected situation!
If you know how to tie a bowline you might know how he did it.
When I was a Boy Scout 62 years ago, we learned to tie the bowline using the "up the hole, around the tree, back down the hole" method and using two hands. Scoutmaster said, "You fell off a cliff but caught a bush on the way down. I just threw you a rope. Now what're you gonna do?" Nobody could think of anything. "You're gonna tie a bowline around your waist." "Can't," we all said. "It takes two hands." "No, it doesn't," the man replied. Sailor that he had been in WWII, he showed us the one-handed way. On the next camping trip, with a rope thrown over a tree limb, everyone practiced the method several times to get the 'hang' of it. Luckily, I never had the 'opportunity' to use the method for real, but we were PREPARED.
Still wild to me that 2/3rds of the Hindenburg passengers/crew survived the crash. Great video!
Yeah, Hindenburg was in a good place to emergency evacuate.
Most who died jumped too early.
If the USA had allowed the Germans to buy helium from them she wouldn't have burned up, but it was considered a strategic resource and so the Germans were forced to use hydrogen instead.
Be it the USS Akron, the Hindenburg, the USS Vito Spatafore or the USS Dom Gamiello, New Jersey seems to be cursed place for giant airships.
The good ship lollipop
Graveyard of parade floats
New Jersey is just a cursed place in general man
Pretty sure you can omit "for giant airships" there. [/"obligatory" New Jersey jab]
But yeah, it's a bit weird. Wonder if it was primarily caused by typical weather patterns in that area at the time or something else.
Probably due to the Lakehurst Naval Air Station being in New Jersey.
My dad worked for Goodyear in the 90s and we got to go up in the Goodyear blimp because he was the top salesman of the year. One of the most unique experiences of my life.
Jealous. I live in Akron but never had that opportunity
I heard they did that as a reward to employees! As I understand, those employees and their families were the only actual passengers carried on the Goodyear blimps after a certain date. (Not including contractors, like camera operators and sports broadcasters.)
When I was about 8 years old (1970?) I heard what I thought was a REALLY low airplane. I ran outside to look and saw the Goodyear Blimp. I had never even heard of one and thought it was the end of the world. "Grandpa!! A big balloon thing!!" He explained to me what it was, having fought in WWI and obviously seeing many of them.
@@chrisbannerman2506 I lived in Mogadore and visited Wingfoot Lake a lot. Those blimps always flew over my house. Fun to see, but I'd never get in one if I had the chance lol
I'm 75 now and have lived in Akron my whole life. The photos of the old Goodyear Air Dock in the Akron Fulton Airport are great and since my early age I was told that it was built as and for many years was the largest non-internally supported structure in the world. It still looks awesome today but all of the ships are now home based at Goodyears air dock at Wingfoot Lake ten miles East where flight training and repairs are carried out. Every few years Goodyear's four ships can be seen above Akron in formation for a few days and it's very impressive indeed.
Pretty cool! I believe I have seen the Goodyear blimp as well, grew up driving by one of only two wooden airship hangers left in the US, until the one near us burnt down back in the 90’s. TCOM still makes airships out of there to this day, one of few major employers in a rural area of NC. Most of the ships and balloons now are weather or military surveillance of some kind.
I was born in a house in Dayton Ohio. I'm a little younger than you at almost 67. I hope you are well.
My Great-Uncle was a Crewman on board the Akron when she went down. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend both the 60th and 70th Anniversary Memorial services at Lakehurst, NJ
I thank him for his service to our country. My condolences to your family. My dad was in the Navy. Worked on an aircraft carrier. Never flew. The military is so diverse. Opportunities are endless for what they can do no matter what branch they enlist in.
As was my great uncle, Robert Copeland. He was the radioman. He was rescued from the sea when the Akron went down but died before they reached the shore
I love this channel. Your voice is so soothing and respectful given the subject matter. Thank you.
I agree 👍🏾!
Same
agreed, I listen before bed
Been a fan of this channel for ages and ages now. Loved it since several years ago and the quality has never dropped since. Thanks for another great video on a topic I'd never heard of.
If they were to come out with a safe, modern Hindenburg style airship I would 100% go on a cruise. Would be so cool.
There have been recent experiments with large airships, but the intent is transport of cargo.
Everything is safe until it crashes
@@berzerkbankie1342 But some things are more likely to crash than others, e.g. a formula 1 race car vs the family minivan
@@misterflibble6601 based on engineering devoted to safety, statistics and driver skill, the F1 car is safer then a minivan.
if you look up D-LZFN at flightradar you‘ll find a modern airship that does regular flights from Friedrichshafen, Germany. But it’s just a sightseeing flight, landing back where it started..
It flies with Helium, so it should be safer than the original Zeppelins at least 😅
For some reason, i remember seeing footage of the Akron lifting off with those four crewmen. That was just horrible.
I've seen it too and it is horrifying, and one of those things I wish I had never seen.
I've also seen that, can't remember where. It was quite a long time ago, possibly part of a documentary or something. It was a terrible thing to watch.
I remember watching footage of that accident when broadcast on an aviation history series called Reaching for the Skies. This was about 40 years ago, and I remain horrified.
RIP Nigel Merton Henton, RIP Robert Harold Edsall.
I saw it only a few days ago.
This isn’t a reupload?
I saw it in a documentary series about flight called Reaching for the Skies from the late 80s, specifically the episode called Lighter than Air.
It's quite good, and holds up very well today for being 35 years old. It's on TH-cam as well I think.
The home of the USS Macon, Hangar One at the airfield now named for Admiral Moffett in Mountain View, CA, is still there and a renovation project which started over a decade ago is nearly complete. There was a lot of toxic material used in its construction, making the renovation a challenge. It remains one of the largest freestanding structures in the world, measured by usable interior space.
Don't forget the other airship / blimp hangars remaining around the country. I myself have visited Hangar B at (former) Naval Air Station Tillamook, which is now a small (ironic!) Air Museum. Only about a third of the hangar is actually used as a museum- the rest is cold storage, both for locals and some of the other historical organizations who've arranged their large items in a way that can also be seen by museum patrons, but in my opinion it's worth it to see one of the largest freestanding wooden buildings in the world. Unfortunately Hangar A burned down in the 90s.
Parts of a recent Star Trek movie were filmed there. The hangars for the British R100 & R101 are still there in the U.K. I've seen them from a train window. A friend of mine has a piece of fabric from the R100 after repairs were done in Montreal.
At one time there were three of those hangars at Moffett Field, complete with train rails running through. And when the weather was right, it could rain inside (or so I've been told)
@@johncentamore1052 The other two are still there. They're not quite as big, and were meant to house blimps used for surveillance during WWII.
Cardington, Bedfordshire in the UK are other hangers
Captain: "Alright sailors! Who wants to go in the spy basket?"
Sailors: 😳 👀
Captain: "Don't be shy now..."
😂 Right?!
I liked that group picture with the man nicknamed "Lucky". He'd survived other airship crashes. Looked like he was seriously, at that point, doubting his life choices.🙃
I hope he retired. Thank you for your service, sir.🇺🇸
Wonder if he ever flew in an airplane after that.🤷🏼♀️
"C'mon, anyone? Anyone?.....
Funny, have you seen the 1930’s classic Hell’s Angels?? Highly recommend, it’s on YT for free I believe.
Sorry, but the conversation would be more like: It's your turn to go in the Cloud Car, that's an order.
The Germans didn't mind getting that task assigned to them as it meant they were allowed to smoke in it, something that was forbidden on their hydrogen filled airships.
I adore this channel so much, it got me interested in Public Health 4-5 years ago. I’m an Epidemiology major, on track to get my Bachelors soon, due to a combination of the Pandemic and this channel.
Genuinely life impacting channel, thank you :)
That one dangling survivor is so lucky he was probably scared shitless
In this case we call it "jettisoning ballast".
More than lucky, he was strong enough to tie the rope around him and keep his grip long enough to be rescued, on top of having the clarity of mind to actually do it. Although the smartest men were the ones that did let go of the rope while still on the ground.
@@moteroargentino7944 true
The difference between him and the two that fell is that he was standing on the toggles at the end of the lines while the other two were just hanging from those toggles so could only use their arm strength to hang on with.
There’s something timeless about certain melodies, especially when an opening piano riff captures so much emotion and nostalgia. It’s amazing how a few notes can bring back memories, set the mood, or transport you to another time. Holding onto that magic over the years shows how powerful music can be-it’s like a familiar friend that’s been with you through it all. Thanks for appreciating it and keeping that connection alive!
I remember being told that the Empire State building was built with a docking station for airships cause they thought they'd be so popular
Sadly, as cool as that would be, it's a myth.
I don't think it's a myth, but it's not the whole story either. I believe they added a mooring post to the top to increase its overall height and surpass the Chrysler building. The mooring station wasn't fit for purpose and airships faded out of use but the main objective of becoming the largest skyscraper in Manhattan was achieved!
There is film of the only docking attempt. Small turbulence is still gonna be like banging the ship against the dock. They might have suspected, further on the whole ship would swing crazy wild around like the tether car did. King Kong falling off and part of the tower too!
@@echodelta9 But there was no dock....no ramp....it was a stunt done (and in terrible 40mph conditions).....but there was no 'docking station' where people could have gotten off. No 'dock' ever existed.
@@nickbumble2240 Nope. Empire State added a spire but no 'docking station' or any way to get people from an airship to the building....EVER. They didn't even attempt to make a way for people to go from an airship to the building. The spire was completely unrelated.
When I was a kid in the 70s one of the first models I ever built was of the USS Akron. It hung in my bedroom for years. And ever since I was a kid I have loved those airships. I think there are some of the most beautiful things humanity has ever created.
I agree! They are such a magical thing
They are certainly graceful. I always thought it would be a great way to travel - slow and leisurely, and not so high that you couldn't see a lot of detail on the ground. Precarious in bad weather, though.
Though the airships were quite massive, what truly impresses me is the size of their HANGARS.
The one in the video is still there, they have just about finished restoring it. It has so much volume it can develop its own weather system inside, just like the main building at Boeing.
@@marvindebot3264like it can rain inside the building?
@@somethingsomething404 as far as I know from research and people that had parents working there. the short answer is no. what I gathered is mainly condensations building up but not close to what you'd think. I also live in Akron right down the road from even the good year blimp hanger. ps every year the good year blimp takes about 25 pot shots from people being people in a year
@@somethingsomething404 Yes. It can develop fogbanks and clouds as well.
@@somethingsomething404 I don't know about the one in Akron, but the one we have in Oregon does develop mist and water can fall from the roof joists - so, not exactly rain from clouds, but still very weird to have to use an umbrella indoors!
The giant hanger is still in Akron, Ohio and it now supports a fleet of Goodyear blimps. We see them frequently in this area of Ohio. A few weeks ago, I saw three flying in a line while driving through Suffield, OH. Yes, airships are mostly obsolete. But, not these. They are used to get video of football games and other events among other things and must be profitable.
We still have one standing in Tillamook Oregon, it's the largest clear-span wood building in the world and houses an air museum.
Actually Goodyear uses a smaller hanger at Wingfoot Lake, near Suffield, Ohio to house their blimps. The old Goodyear Airdock in Akron (by Soapbox Derby Downs) is abandoned, not sure if Lockheed Martin or Parker Hannifin owns the Airdock now. Goodyear sold it to Lorel (1986) which was taken over by Lockheed Martin 1997.
I used to love watching the Goodyear blimps at Virginia Beach in the 1970s when I was a kid.
There is a woman in Oklahoma who saw the Hindenburg crash. She was a young girl when it happened. She says memories like that will never leave you. She thought the people jumping out were ants.
At 7:25, the question arose as to if the Akron was cursed. Well, construction DID begin on Halloween 1929 in Akron, OH, and the chief engineer on the project WAS named Clark Jinks. And most of all, the crew was doomed by the Titanic-style stupidity of the usual suspects - THOSE IN CHARGE, who were responsible for operating an airship over the ocean and having no Life Savers aboard. No Pep-O-Mint, Spear-O-Mint, Wint-O-Green, nothing.
Like, I know this is a low bar, but thank you for pronouncing Akron correctly 😭 You're the first TH-camr I've come across to actually look up the pronunciation and used it.
How do other people say it? Ak-RON?! lol
He's so good at pronunciations.
@@bethpedone8771, I’ve heard some say AY-kron or Ah-CRONE.
Unlike Shenandoah though 😅
@@ItsJustLisaoh wow 😳 i’ve never heard it mispronounced… i’m not sure how i’d react to hearing someone call it A-kron though lol
My grandfather's photography studio developed photos of the wreck of the Shenandoah, and he kept copies. They're absolutely fascinating to look through.
If there are any unpublished photos I'm sure an airship historical society would love to have the images. Many such things get lost over time so please make sure these don't join them.
I have a primordially smooth brain, every time he posts, I click, class at seven be damned, watching this at 3:am my time shout out viewers in the US West!!
Pity you aren't here. You posted 3 hrs ago. It's 9:21 here. You coulda been brushing your teeth, watching a little wake me up on your way to class if you lived here. Lol
I'm an RN, have no concept of time outside of work, and also click automatically. Love this channel!
There is a movie called "Here Comes the Navy" from about 1933 with James Cagney. Parts are filmed on the Macon and also the USS Arizona.
@lawrencelewis2592 essentially a feature-length advert for the USN, filmed with the complete support and assistance of the Navy Department. I believe in '33 base pay was some $21/month, yet Cagney always seems to have 20 bucks to toss to a shipmate. Five decades on I rarely had 20 to spare (retired in '98). Enjoyable movie anyway, great footage of the USS Arizona (RIP).
@@ssbn6175 A great movie! I can tell because Cagney is in it.
You can still see the former Goodyear Aerodock, where the USS Akron was built, while driving on US224 by the Akron OH airport.
Yes. Triplett Blvd too
i pass it all the time to go get ice cream lol
@@chelseatheatre at Stricklands?
@@dansvideovault2186 Akron in the house!
I visited that airport in 1987 and had lunch at the restaurant there. I had a Blimp Burger and I still have the menu that I saved.
One of the Planes was on the ground being serviced and survived. It is now in the Navy Museum in Pensacola, Florida.
There's another example in the Smithsonian.
I think that one of the main reasons (other than the iconic film footage) that the Hindenburg is much better known is that disasters involving civilian deaths tend to draw more attention than those involving servicemen and women. While most viewers of this channel have likely heard of the RMS Titanic, I would guess that far fewer know anything about the deadliest shipwreck of all time, the sinking of the M/V Wilhelm Gustloff.
Also, airships and blimps are not the same thing. Airships were built with a rigid airframe, blimps are more like a balloon. In WWII, the Army used blimps, not airships. Oops, I was wrong - just checked and see that dirigibles, zeppelins, and blimps are all classified as airships; dirigibles and zeppelins having rigid airframes.
That's right. A blimp is not a zeppelin and a zeppelin is not a blimp, but blimps and zeppelins (and dirigibles) are airships.
(Dirigible is French for "steerable", named at the time to differentiate them from any balloon-type airship that was not steerable, so I guess technically anything that we would think of as an airship is also a dirigible. I think the term became outmoded pretty early on, but somehow it stuck around anyway.)
The name "blimp" came from the British who classified airships as "A" for rigid ones and "B" for non-rigid, or "limp" ones. They ran the letters together and got "Blimp"
There’s rigid airships like the Akron, semi-rigid airships like the Zeppelin NT, and non-rigid airships, which are accurately called blimps.
Maybe it should be A - rigid, B - semi-rigid and C - limp, so maybe we should be calling them Climps 😄😅😂
I can't believe I never even knew about the Akron. Beautifully told story, thank you. 💝 Love from here in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Right back at you, neighbor!💖
10:04 Wow and I thought that crew sleeping spaces onboard naval vessels and submarines were tight and scary. Those "bunks" don't look very comfortable and knowing you are in a "room" that has a thin wall separating you from a very long fall. Also the noise of the engines and the wind outside. Don't know how anyone could sleep there no matter how tired they were.
I struggle to stay awake to your videos. Not because the content is dull (it's not!!), but your voice is so soothing it lulls me to sleep. I fight to pay attention to them and often have to rewind because I missed a few minutes 😂
That’s why I turn on subtitles and read along. I blame my adhd because it’s like that for most videos I watch.
New Jersey hates airships.
Watching from Akron where they still build them!
No we don’t and the Lakehurst hangers still house blimps.
10:09 the building in the foreground is called Moffet field. It’s an airship hanger. It’s so tall that clouds and fog will form in the roof.
I was stationed at Moffett Field in VP31 in Hanger 1.
The building is Hangar One, the NAS Moffett Field.
I live in Akron and in the 80's and most of the 90s blimps flying overhead were pretty common. A very impressive sight because they moved so slow you could watch them for quite while. We always watched for them flying out to the pro football games.
My father-in-law used to fit the windows into the blimps.
I was wondering the other day about such vehicles-we used to see them here in the Midwest in the 1960s and 70s (and possibly the early 80s?) on a somewhat regular basis. But they were rare enough even then that I remember my mom deciding to follow one on local roads for a while just for the fun of it-we’d been on our way to a nearby town but abandoned that destination for a little while. I miss seeing these wondrous blimps.
Every year growing up I was able to see one floating over my house, covering the Arlington Million. This would have been through the 80s. It was something you knew was special and now is such a unique memory.
I’m now a retired truck driver. I remember the airship hangers in Akron. They were used as warehouses for many companies back then. You would drive in and back up to one of several loading/unloading docks for the different companies housed there.
Interesting documentary as always. Love this channel! Always recommend it to people. :)
Fun fact, I happen to own an Indiana Jones novel from the 90’s, Indiana Jones and the Philosophers’ Stone, and part of the plot has Indy ride on the Akron’s sister airship, the Macon. He used to get to Europe quickly and the bad guys (Fascist Italians) infiltrated it with intent to blow it up with a bomb. There’s even a section in the back of the book talking about both airships and what happened to both the Akron and Macon.
Living in the Akron area most of my life, it’s always great driving by the Airdock that’s provided so much history.
At 0:52 you can see the old Saint Bavo Church in Haarlem (the Netherlands)
Thank you!
Been always aware of Hindenburg, but had no idea of this one.
Your channel is awesome, i'm a long time fan, thank you for making amazing content, one of the channels that make TH-cam worth..
I've heard of the USS Akron crash and the effect it has on the development of airships in the U.S. but this is the first time I've heard more people died from the crash than in the Hindenburg disaster. That fact doesn't seem to get covered as much (which is a shame ) but I guess the reason is because the Hindenburg was witnessed by many people and covered live on the air as it occurred and was captured on film
Yep, that’s exactly why.
Could be because most of the deaths on the USS Akron from drowning, they did not carry life jackets or inflatable lifeboats. The USS Macon (same size Airship as USS Akron) did carry life jackets and inflatable lifeboats, so most of the crew survived that water crash.
Airships just look 100% scketchy. Like something a mad scientist would dream up
"MWAHAHAHA! BEHOLD MY BLIMP OF BLIGHT! MY DOOM BALLOON! BOW BENEATH ME HUMANITY!"
@@lofthouse23 🤣
Well, they did describe Count Ferdinand Von Zeppelin as "The Crazy Count".
Miracoulsy there is one of those Sparrowhawks is still in existence. Only 7 were ever made and most interwar aircraft are long gone either to the scrapyards or the second world war. It's a true gem.
Cool stuff
Always look forward to a Tuesday morning video by FH
What a great bit of content as always 😊
The fact that no airship had any floatation devices when flying over water blows my mind.
This one was just wonderful, Mr. Fascinating. I love your channel!
I was born at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station medical center in 1951. My dad was a Navy flier. While growing up, he told me many stories about accidents of blimps, including the Akron and Hindenburg. Thank you for this. It brings back memories of my dad.
Airships are still being made in the US at T-Com in Elizabeth City NC. They are tethered with long lines that allow the ships to ascend several thousand feet. They are outfitted with cameras, FLIR, etc and are used by countries for reconnaissance. They are double walled and can withstand small arms fire.
I love seeing the Goodyear blimps here in wonderful Akron, Ohio
And got to enter the great Hanger
RIP to all, and thanks FH for covering one of my ALL TIME fav aviation subjects.
What a truly fascinating episode!❤
I have a crew member jacket from the USS Macon. Fantastic quality even after all these years
11:19 actually given development over the past fifteen years, airships are likely going to make something of a comeback as freighters (faster than a boat but more efficient than an airplane)
Airships will not make a comeback. They are far too unstable and dangerous. Don't people ever learn from history?
They've been saying that for decades, but it hasn't happened yet.
I doubt it. Airships only hold an advantage over helicopters, since they don't need to spend energy to maintain stationary flight. To go from point A to point B, the airship just doesn't have any edge to stand out. You want your cargo to be delivered either cheaply or quickly (ideally both). An airship isn't even close to the speed of an airplane, and it costs more than regular shipping.
@@moteroargentino7944i could see them as an air equivalent to cruise liners
Note the size of these airships, and then compare that to how little they actually carried.
I live in Akron and can confirm the curse is still alive and well. This city is merely a shell of her former glory...
Not as sad as Youngstown. Ever been to Stan Hywet Hall?
@@nhmooytis7058
Ha! Yes and yes. Also from Akron born and raised. I have been all over the country and Akron definitely isn't as bad as some make it out to be. But hell maybe I am a bit biased or just used to it. 🤷😅
@@fawlkes2246 I thought Cleveland was bad then I went to Toledo! 😄
I lived in Akron back when working for Goodyear Aerospace, had to leave once laid off. Tough and sad to see all the layoffs in the 80's and 90's, Firestone, BF Goodrich, General, Uniroyal all gone; Goodyear a shell of itself. Live in rural Ohio now, retired to farming.
@@Mike-f5r Rural Ohio is the plan for us as well. Where did you end up?
Thank you for this video. I didn't know about this case.
Wow, both this and the Hindenburg happened in New Jersey 😮.
As did Action Park and the Haunted Castle at Six Flags. Coincedence?
I’ve had the opportunity to visit one of the last surviving blimp hangars from wwii, the scale of these things are insane. If any of you get the chance to visit one of the hangars you definitely should
The Hindenburg, part of DELAG Airways company, was constructed by the Zeppelin company in Austria, from memory. During DELAG's operations, the Hindenburg was the only fatal accident in the company's long, accident free reputation known for it's safety, as well as the luxurious appointments. And a company fort making safety their number one concern. Most passengers survived.
At the time it was the safest way to travel long distances and was considered luxurious. They had scheduled flights much like airlines do today.
DELAG was in Friedrichshafen at the Bodensee (Lake Constance) at the border to Switzerland and Austria, but in German (the DE standing for Deutsche) but they had the advantage of hiring all the Zeppelin crewmembers with experience from WW1. In contrary to almost everyone else the german civilian airship program had a core of people who had been flying dirigibles for 30 years by the time of the Hindenburg crash, many of them having flown in wartime against enemy opposition. That was a level of experience no one else had, not even the US navy.
Shame the Nazis took over, that marked her death knell. The Americans stopped selling Germany inert helium, so Hindenburg was filled with highly flammable hydrogen, and when critical mass was reached, the disastrous set of catalysts, she caught on fire.
Maybe if R101, Akron and Hindenburg hadn't crashed, we'd still be taking intercontinental airship flights.
That piano is creepy hypnotizing. 👀
Always a well read great story. 👻
I just subscribed. Excellent and educational video; thank you for creating it. Prior to watching your video I had heard of this disaster but I I knew very few details so, I found your video very informative. Cheers.
Thanks for sharing this history, it should not be forgotten.
I live near Akron and never heard this story. Learned something new today! 🤓
My mother worked at San Julian NAF during World War II. It was home to an airship command. We have many pictures of the blimps on the base.
A story on the Shenandoah would be interesting. I’ve heard so many stories about people descending on the crash site and looting the dead not to mention stealing parts of the airship and the ship’s log. It might have answered questions about the events leading up to the crash.
Something that big does not survive 65+mph winds in the mid-west. It left the Ohio State Fair that evening, and was headed east when it crashed. My father, aged 4 at the time, walked about 4 miles to the Sharon crash site where there more survivors. The Ava crash site is visible from I-77 southbound north of Belle Valley, Ohio. Noble county is planning a large memorial for the 100 year anniversary September 3, 2025. I graduated from Shenandoah High School, named after the USS Shenandoah. Coincidently our nickname was the "Zeps", short for Zepplin. The high school lobby has a photo donated by Capt. Lansdowne's widow in 1963. About 10 years later, there was a family that pulled carrots from their garden, and one carrot had grown through Capt. Lansdowne's lost wedding ring. They returned to it the widow. The wikipedia article is fairly good, but us locals knew lots more.
Love your channel. Keep up the amazing work. 😊
My favorite book series involves what-if ideas like dirigibles being the dominant method of flight. The first book is Hard Magic. It's a 1930s alternate history where some people have powers, like controlling certain elements or gravity.
*G'Day from Australia everyone*
Good morning, from Canada, Australia!
Good belated morning, Australia!
Hello, Mate!
That man truly is lucky wow.
If I survived two incidents like that, I'd be worried what was gonna get me.
In WW1 the briitish used small airships, basically a wingless airplane fuselage slung under a balloon-used to hunt for submarines, they had a longer range than heavier than air ships-perfect for patrols.
I have such a soft spot for airships. I can't help wishing they were still around.
I visited an air museum near the Oregon coast as a young man and it was all inside a gigantic blimp hanger. At one time it was the largest freestanding wooden structure west of the mason/dixon. It was a real experience that I hope to never forget despite age doing a number on my brain already.
It's still there, and yes, it's still the largest freestanding wood structure in the world. We were wandering through on a rainy winter weekday a few years ago and they had big band music playing through small speakers near the entrance. Hearing Tommy Dorsey gently echoing through the quiet structure while we were looking at WWII era fighters was so beautifully eerie.
The Mason-Dixon runs on an East-West axis. North of the M-D line or west of the Mississippi is what you are looking for.
Wow, that really was Fascinating!
I saw an airship a few years ago, it gave me the creeps. There is something sinister about these things.
Absolutely fascinating.
The creepy cool music is on, I...must...DANCE! *wiggles in seat to the beat*
I live near Lakehurst. I’ve held pieces of the Akron as well as the Hindenburg, Shenandoah, and Los Angeles working at local historical societies. I’ve also been inside the hangar where they were all stored (except for the Hindenburg). The hangars are unreal to stand in, they’re so huge.
The incident of the four crewmen dangling on a rope inspired a similar incident in the James Cagney-Pat O’Brien vehicle “Here Comes the Navy.”
So interesting!
Love your videos!!
When I was a little kid living on the Military base in Munich Germany in the 1950's I saw Zeppelins fly over head several times. It was an amazing sight and one of my earliest memories. Thanks for the video.
We always hear of the Hindenburg but never anything else! Thank you.
Stories of the British R100 and R101 airships are interesting. Like many, some tragedy.
What a great channel. Always good stories, always interesting, tasteful, well written, yhe intro & outro music, the whole nine yards some say.
I grew up near Akron, Ohio, and seeing the Goodyear Blimps used to be a common sight. It was always an amazing and beautiful sight and a feeling of pride to see the massive blimps floating quietly through the skies.
I remember years ago that one of the Goodyear Blimps floated over our village, it seemed ginormous.
I live in Akron and see them on occasion. One time they had 3 flying around!
The building the Akron was built in still exists and is a historical landmark
I grew up next county over in Portage, Ohio. My brother lives near 224 & 91 - right down the road from the hangar in Akron.
As someone who does not like heights (at all), you would not believe the spike my blood pressure had when those four crewmen were lifted into the air.
Perhaps it’s a good thing that airships never caught on.
Fascinating Horror=❤❤❤
I think the Goodyear blimps survive because they are not SUPER-SIZED and they have excess engine capacity to resist diving and crashing when downdrafts happen.
I first learned about the USS Akron from an A&E documentary on airships. I still have the January 1992 National Geographic magazine on the sister ship - the USS Macon, I continue to use this magazine as a source when discussing the Akron and the Macon. I have actually seen the last surviving Curtis F9C Sparrowhawks, when it was still at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida during my trip in June 2001. The US Army had its own airship disaster too - the USS Roma, which occurred on 21 February 1922, at Norfolk, Virginia, after the airship with 45 crew members on board, crashed straight into the ground and high voltage wires, after structural failure in the steering and the rigid airframe, this accident killed 34 including the captain. The Roma disaster was the worst airship disaster up to that point, the Roma remains the first and only American airship to use hydrogen for lift, and this accident ended the US Army's zeppelin programme.
Thanks for this interesting documentary.
Her Hanger still stands today, and is actually used by GoodYear for their Blimp.
Excellent video! Well-researched. Great job!
Thank you for another “flawed” but very interesting video. Airships don’t seem to be the best invention ever! All the best from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺
2am video drop for me in California! Thanks for making the end of my day more entertaining!!