The airplanes were loaded on a contraption that resembled a trapeze that hung down from the airship outside of a t-shaped opening. There was a crew of 60, so enough to service five airplanes. This was perfect for covering large swathes of the ocean and there was an added bonus – the airships could travel at a speed of 79 miles per hour. The Akron and Macon could fly an astonishing 7,000 miles. Why not make them the mother ships for smaller biplane fighters? The zeppelins were big enough at 785 feet long. Navy made a leap of imagination when it saw the potential of these new airships.
The United States was also a global leader in the production of helium so that was another selling point for the airships.įlying Aircraft Carriers: Could This Be the Mothership? The airships used helium instead of flammable hydrogen gas and were considered safer to operate. The Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation in Ohio thought they had a hit when the Akron and Macon were unveiled. They had a long-range and were inexpensive to build and maintain. Helium-filled airships had desirable qualities that made them state-of-the-art in the early 1930s.
But let’s take a closer look at these historic aircraft that were ahead of their time.īack Story of the Flying Aircraft Carriers A thunderstorm destroyed Akron in 1933 – a tragedy that killed 73 out of 76 people on board. These helium-filled zeppelins that carried Sparrowhawk biplanes were an early curiosity that ended in failure. Flying Aircraft Carriers Were Actually a Thing in the US Military Until Tragedy Struck: Maybe you served on an aircraft carrier and listened to Led Zeppelin when off-duty, but what if you served on an aircraft carrier that was a zeppelin?įlying aircraft carriers – that’s what the USS Akron and the USS Macon were.
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