# U.S. NAVY DIRIGIBLE USS AKRON MEMORIAL FILM AFTER 1933 LOSS OF AIRSHIP 59614

This rare film from the early 1930s shows the dirigible USS Akron, and was made just after its disastrous loss in 1933. The film begins with images of the USS Akron before taking a step back in time to show a WWI type Navy balloon landing on a ship's deck ( 1:00 ). A non-rigid Navy blimp, the C-7, is seen at 1:09 . At 1:17 , USS Los Angeles is seen being christened with President Calvin Coolidge in attendance. USS Shenandoah is seen at 1:38 . At 1:42 the construction of the Akron is shown. Construction of ZRS-4 was begun on 31 October 1929 at the Goodyear Airdock in Akron, Ohio by the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation. Because she was larger than any airship previously built in America, a special hangar was constructed. Chief Designer Karl Arnstein and a team of experienced German airship engineers instructed and supported design and construction of both U.S. Navy airships USS Akron and USS Macon. At 3:00 the narrator mentions that the ship would have its engines inside the hull of the airship. At 3:37 , cloth is seen being added to the exterior of the ship. At 3:50 , one of the ship's motors is shown being tested. At 5:48 operations on the bridge and inside the airship are shown. The film then shows the airship flying over New York, Washington D.C. and other cities. At 7:00 , Rear Admiral Moffat is seen speaking to Commander Rosendahl. At 7:40 the film pays a tribute to the gallant crew of Akron who perished in the crash (see below). USS Akron (ZRS-4) was a helium-filled rigid…

- Kind: Film
- Genres: Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/59614TheUSSAkron)
- Licence or status: none stated by the archive
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/59614TheUSSAkron?play=1)