GIANT DIRIGIBLE TORN TO PIECES BY GALE
Caldwell, Ohio (JFK+50) On September 3, 1925, "the giant dirigible Shenandoah* went down in three pieces and killed its commander, Lieut. Comdr. Zachary Landsdowne**, and 13 of the officers and men making up her crew."
The disaster came shortly after 5 p.m. when the airship "struck a line squall...while traveling at 3,000 feet." The squall carried the ship to 5,000 feet and then "it suddenly came down...and broke into three pieces."Most of those killed were in the control cabin."
The Evening Star reports that "the craft simply met air currents which she could not survive."
JFK+50 NOTE
A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind velocity which lasts for several minutes. It is usually associated with rain, thunderstorms or snow.
*U.S.S. Shenandoah (ZR-1) was the 1st of 4 U.S. Navy rigid airships. She was built in 1922 & 1923 with a length of 680 ft. & weighing 36 tons. The dirigible was powered by 5 eight cylinder engines.
**Zachary Landsdowne (1888-1925) was born in Greenville, Ohio & graduated USNA. ZL served in the Royal Navy Air Service in WWI & won the Navy Cross. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
SOURCE
"Shenandoah Torn To Pieces In Gale," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., September 3, 1925, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
