Friday, December 21, 2012

Archival Dirigibles

 Photograph of the nose of the USS Akron being attached

  Sailor at the Bow Mooring Post

 Emergency Control Station 

 Navigation Room 

 Crew Bunks

 Catwalk on the USS Akron

 USS Akron in the Goodyear-Zeppelin Dock

From the US National Archives, here are some photographs submitted to the 1933 Joint Congressional Committee to investigate dirigible disasters.  According to the Archives, "the Joint Committee to Investigate Dirigible Disasters was created to investigate the cause of the USS Akron disaster and the wrecks of other Army and Navy dirigibles and to determine responsibility."  Seventy plus years later, these images no longer read as evidence from a disaster report, but rather, lovely snaps of a lost transportation and housing system.  Not pictured - dirigible kitchens and close up views of air ship appliances and leisure time.

1 comment:

kyjunker said...

great pictures!...I grew up near the Jersey Shore in the shadows of Lakehurst Naval Air Station...my neighbor was a retired Admiral named Rosendahl...he was the Navigator on the Shenandoah when it crashed and was Commander at Lakehurst during the Hindenburg disaster...he told me fantastic stories of the Great Airships and was always optomistic in regards to their comeback...