What you need to know: The Akron-class airships, Akron And Masonrepresented the pinnacle of rigid airship design and were the only flying aircraft carriers in the US Navy. Built by Goodyear-Zeppelin in the 1930s, these helium-filled airships carried reconnaissance aircraft and had advanced features such as internal engines to reduce drag.

-Although initially promising, both ships were lost in storms (Akron in 1933, Mason in 1935), leading to significant losses and a decline in enthusiasm for airships.

-The Navy focused on fixed-wing aircraft, which proved more efficient and economical. Despite its potential, the Akron class remains a fascinating but fleeting chapter in aviation history.

The US Navy’s Flying Carriers: The Rise and Fall of the Akron-Class Airships

On December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers made history by making the first heavier-than-air flight. Although a remarkable achievement that led to the development of all modern aircraft, it was not the first time man had taken flight.

Lighter-than-air (LTA) ships had been flying for several decades, and many countries continued to invest in them for several years after the invention of heavier-than-air powered flight. Both Akron-class airships – what some call flying aircraft carriers – of the US Navy represented the pinnacle of LTA design and heralded the era of airships worldwide.

Airships, dirigibles, dirigibles and zeppelins to flying aircraft carriers

Although the terms are often used interchangeably, dirigibles, dirigibles, dirigibles and zeppelins describe different ships. An airship or dirigible is any LTA craft that is powered and steerable instead of being at the mercy of wind currents like a hot air balloon. Airships are essentially propelled balloons. The lifting gas inside helps them maintain their shape. A rigid airship uses an internal frame to maintain its shape and provide a support structure while lifting gas bladders are installed inside the structure. Rigid airships are often called zeppelinsalthough technically this refers specifically to airships designed and built by the German company Luftschiffbau Zeppelin. Perhaps the most famous of their devices was the ocean liner Hindenburg.

Before World War I, zeppelins were used on civilian flights, both for simple sightseeing and as destination flights. At the same time, the German military took note and began investigating their use as scouts or bombers. When the war reached a stalemate in 1915, the zeppelins took part in the little-known operation “First London Blitz” bombing of cities in the United Kingdom. As the war progressed, the British defense solidified and the weaknesses of the zeppelins were exposed, resulting in the loss of 77 of the 115 airships participating in the raids. Nevertheless, there was still considerable interest in the use of rigid airships as tools of war.

The origins of the Akron-class flying aircraft carriers

Akron-class ships were fully rigid airships built as a joint venture by the Goodyear Company and Zeppelin after World War I. At the end of the war, the Navy in particular was keen to get their hands on an airship after seeing one that was forced down during a raid over the United Kingdom. Initial plans called for two German ships to be handed over to the United States for repairs; however, their crews destroyed them before the transfer could take place.

The United States ultimately ended up with two German-built airships, USS Shenandoah And Los Angeles. The moderate success of these two machines, despite the loss of Shenandoah, led the Navy to solicit bids for two U.S.-built airships. In 1928, the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation won the contract to produce the two ships that would make up the Akron class.

An overview of the airship design

German engineer Karl Arnstein traveled to the United States to work with the Goodyear company on the design of the new airships. The result was a 785-foot craft capable of cruising at 55 knots, with a top speed of nearly 70 knots. Its internal structure differed from its contemporaries in that it had a few reinforced structural rings to distribute loads, while the rest simply served to maintain its shape. Additionally, instead of a single keel, three keels ran the length of the ship. One at the top supported the gas cells and two others near the bottom contained the crew compartments and engine compartments. Another deviation was the use of helium instead of hydrogen as a lifting gas. The explosive nature of hydrogen had been highlighted during the Hindenburg incident, and the Navy wanted a more stable solution. Helium was quite expensive and difficult to produce, but it brought an immediate benefit: Akrons eight engines were housed internally, significantly reducing drag and enabling their high top speed.

Perhaps the most striking new addition to this class was the addition of an aircraft hangar inside the ship. THE Mason could carry up to five aircraft, while design constraints limited the Akron to three. These aircraft were launched and recovered using an aerial hook. Upon launch, they were lowered into the slipstream, where the pilot started the engine, released the hook and moved away. On recovery, the process was reversed, with the pilot flying onto the hook before stopping.

Akron-class operational history:

The first of two airships, Akronwas commissioned in 1931. She spent the next two years perfecting procedures for reconnaissance of enemy fleets. It was at this time that the idea of ​​using it as a flying aircraft carrier was born. While planners expected that the carrier-based fighters would serve to protect the mothership from attack, several exercises dispelled this notion.

Hostile aircraft and anti-aircraft fire were thought to be far too devastating for the airships to withstand, so its air wing’s mission was changed to that of reconnaissance. At the time, this gave the ship unprecedented reconnaissance range. By replacing the planes’ landing gear with fuel tanks, they achieved a range of 200 miles. Combined with the airship’s high speed compared to surface ships, there was potential for very real use of the Akrons. Mason was put into service two years later, in 1933. It undertook its first flight just weeks after the tragic loss of Akron. She picked up where the Akron left off, participating in fleet exercises and refining reconnaissance tactics. Perhaps her most memorable excursion was an endurance flight over the Pacific where she successfully located and tracked the cruiser. USS Houstonwhich carried President Roosevelt on vacation to Hawaii.

Losses and consequences:

Akron was lost in April 1933 after encountering a storm in the North Atlantic. Tragically, due to sea conditions and a lack of life jackets, 73 of the 76 men on board perished. Among them was Rear Admiral William Moffett, an early and ardent supporter of the airship program. Without his support, the appetite for investment in airships began to decline rapidly. Mason was lost in similar conditions off Monterey in February 1935.

Faced with bad weather, she suffered from structural failure which damaged its gas cells. Fortunately, it settled into the water quite gradually and almost all of its crew survived – only two were killed. The introduction of life jackets after the Akron disaster undoubtedly contributed to this. Ultimately, the Navy would not resurrect its vast and rigid airship program.

Despite some enthusiasm, particularly with proposed funding of $16.75 million, President Roosevelt instead directed planners to focus on long-range patrol aircraft. Advances in fixed-wing technology have given aircraft much greater range and survivability while costing much less.

Today, flying aircraft carriers Akron And Mason constitute a little-known chapter in the history of naval aviation. As the story continues, they beg the question: what could have happened?

About the author: Maya Carlin

Maya Carlinnational security editor at The National Interest, is an analyst at the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has contributed articles to numerous publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.

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