Lot 623
U.S.S. Akron Air Ship (Dirigible). Actual 8 x 6 inch rubberized brown fabric that was part of the covering of the helium gas cells of the U.S.S. Akron Air Ship, autographed by the three sole survivors of the April 4, 1933 crash. This piece was salvaged from the Atlantic Ocean off Barnegat Light, New Jersey, some time in April 1933. This piece of fabric is cacheted with a commemorative portrait of the dirigible that foundered and went down 25 miles off Baregat. The Akron was the pride of the U.S. Naval Air Forces; it was designed for long-range military reconnaissance and was equipped to carry and launch small planes. It measured 785 feet in length and was nine feet longer than Germany's famous "Graf Zeppelin."
The Akron was carrying 76 people, composed of officers, crew, and guests, when it was enveloped in a storm and caught in a severe downdraft. The ship fell stern first. Its tail hit the water, tearing the rudder controls away, and the crash's impact cracked the ship's backbone. The mighty Akron fell helpless into the sea, then sank. There were only three survivors, and each of the three has autographed this historic piece of recovered ship's fabric, postmarked "Lakehurst, NJ, May 30 (1933)." A penciled notation signed by T.W. Margerum accompanies this rare cacheted cover; it states, "There are only forty of these in existance and cannot be bought." A rare opportunity to obtain a historic U.S. Naval Air Ship item.
Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000.
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