The USS Akron's 1933 crash off New Jersey killed 73 people, making it the deadliest airship disaster and deadliest aviation accident before World War II.
Key Facts
- Lives lost
- 73 of 76 aboard
- Overall length
- 785 ft
- Operational period
- September 1931 – April 1933
- Fighter aircraft carried
- F9C Sparrowhawk
- Hull number
- ZRS-4
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The USS Akron, operating as the world's first purpose-built flying aircraft carrier, encountered a severe thunderstorm off the coast of New Jersey in the early hours of 4 April 1933. The violent weather conditions overwhelmed the airship's structural and operational limits.
The airship was destroyed by the thunderstorm, crashing into the Atlantic Ocean off the New Jersey coast on the morning of 4 April 1933. Of the 76 crewmen and passengers aboard, only 3 survived, resulting in 73 deaths.
The disaster stood as the single greatest loss of life in any airship crash and the deadliest aviation disaster of any kind prior to World War II. It severely undermined public and military confidence in rigid airships as a viable military platform.