Description: This photograph shows two Goodyear blimps in the air, flying above a body of water. Canoes and motorboats are visible on the lake. The name and number of each airship is visible on its tail. The Columbia (N2A) is the left; the Mayflower (N3A) is on the left. Both of these airships likely were built in the 1960s, when the Goodyear-Zeppelin Company developed the GZ-19A model (an airship named "Mayflower" was built in 1963). The GZ-20 model was introduced in 1968; an airship named "Columbia" and based on this model was built in 1969. Zeppelins are a type of airship, named for and invented by Ferdinand von Zeppelin. They are also known as blimps, airships, and dirigibles. Zeppelins once used heated air to become airborne. Over time, hydrogen and helium replaced the heated air. Zeppelins are different than hot-air balloons because balloons float with the wind, while zeppelins have engines that can steer the airship. Militaries have used them in wartime to observe and bomb enemy positions and companies have also utilized them to advertise products. The center of zeppelin production in the United States was Akron, Ohio. In 1916, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company purchased land near Akron to build a plant that could produce zeppelin aircraft. In 1917, the main Goodyear Company created a subsidiary known as the Goodyear Zeppelin Company to manufacture the zeppelins. That same year, the firm received a contract from the federal government to manufacture nine zeppelins for the United States military during World War I. Unfortunately for the company, its manufacturing facilities were not complete in 1917, so Goodyear completed the first airships inside of a large amusement park building in Chicago, Illinois. The military used these airships to bomb and to spy upon enemy positions. At the conclusion of World War I, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company continued to manufacture zeppelins. The firm used most of these ships to advertise its products. Zeppelins originally used heated air or hydrogen, but most of these ships utilized helium to become airborne. During this period, other companies, especially European ones, were constructing airships to transport passengers, including across the Atlantic Ocean. Goodyear also manufactured two airships, the "Akron" and the "Macon," for the United States military during the early 1930s. During World War II, the company manufactured 104 airships for the military at its Akron facility. Following World War II, the Goodyear Zeppelin Company continued to manufacture airships, but it also expanded into producing other types of aircraft and aircraft parts. The main thrust of the company, however, remained the airships. The company now used the zeppelins almost exclusively for advertising purposes. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06156
Subjects: Airships; Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation; Zeppelin (airship); Akron (Ohio)
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: These five fragments of the U.S.S. Shenandoah were collected by souvenir hunters after the rigid airship crashed in Noble County in 1925. The first image shows a girder fragment that measures 11.41 by 3.93 by .78 inches (29 by 10 by 2 cm). The girder was part of the metal "skeleton" of the airships. Fabric was attached to the metal frame so that the balloon held its shape. Girders set apart rigid airships from vehicles like hot air balloons (which have no skeleton on the inside, allowing the balloon change shape frequently). This girder fragment is made out of duraluminium, a special type of aluminum meant to be more durable. The second image is a wooden brace fragment that was likely part of the gondola (passenger section) of the airship. It measures 9" by 3" by 0.2" (24 by 8.5 by 0.5 cm). The third image is a clock, most likely one of the pilot's instruments. It measures 3.14 by 3.14 inches (8 by 8 cm). The fourth image shows a fragment of a flashlight from the Shenandoah that measures 2" by 3" (5.5 by 7 cm). The final image shows a pressed paper "sanispoon," a spoon most likely found in a medical kit. It measures 5" by 1.2" (13.5 by 3.1 cm). The U.S.S. Shenandoah was the first gas-filled rigid airship built in America, and the first airship inflated with helium, an inert gas, instead of hydrogen, which is potentially explosive. On the morning of September 3, 1925, the Shenandoah was caught in a storm over Ava, Ohio. It broke apart and crashed, killing 14 crew members, including its captain, Lieutenant Commander Zachary Lansdowne (1888-1925), a native of Greenville, Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1483_1534190_001
Subjects: Transportation; Airships; Shenandoah (Airship); Clocks & watches; Spoons; Aircraft accidents
Places: Ava (Ohio); Noble County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows six blimps in the air flying above a semi-rural area or a small town. All but one of the blimps bear the name "Goodyear"; the sixth blimp (far left in the group) has the name "Bird & Son Inc./Roofs - Rugs." The blimps appear to be of different sizes. Writing in white ink appears on the lower right corner: " K-1-912-11-6-30." Bird & Son, Inc. was established in 1795 in East Walpole, Massachusetts. During the 1880s it produced the first felt-based asphalt roofing product manufactured in the U.S. It also manufactured floor coverings. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06157
Subjects: Airships; Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation; Zeppelin (airship); Akron (Ohio)
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: This image shows an aerial image of the Goodyear plants and Akron Airdock, where the Goodyear Blimps were kept in Akron, Ohio. The building, designed by Karl Arnstein of Wilbur Watson Engineering Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, was constructed in 1929 to house airships. At the time it was built, it was the largest building without interior supports. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06434
Subjects: Airships; Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company; Akron (Ohio)
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: The center of zeppelin production in the United States was Akron, Ohio. In 1916, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company purchased land near Akron, Ohio to build a plant that could produce zeppelin aircraft. The plant was called the Goodyear Airdock. In 1917, the main Goodyear Company created a subsidiary known as the Goodyear Zeppelin Company to manufacture the zeppelins. The zeppelin under construction in the photograph is most likely the USS Akron or its sister ship, the USS Macon built in the early 1930s. These airships were designed to be used by the US Navy for reconnaissance, but were in service for only a short time. Each ship met disaster due to weather conditions, including the Akron going down off the coast of New Jersey and the Macon in Monterey Bay, California. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F01_005
Subjects: Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company; Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation; Airships; Hangars
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: The zeppelin under construction in the photograph is most likely the USS Akron or its sister ship, the USS Macon, built in the early 1930s. The center of zeppelin production in the United States was Akron, Ohio. In 1916, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company purchased land near Akron to build a plant that could produce zeppelin aircraft. The plant was called the Goodyear Airdock. In 1917, the main Goodyear Company created a subsidiary known as the Goodyear Zeppelin Company to manufacture the zeppelins. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B07F07_003_1
Subjects: Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company; Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation; Airships; Hangars
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: This image depicts the Goodyear Zeppelin Airdock in Akron, Ohio in 1937. It is 1200 feet in length and the largest building in the world without interior supports (1937). U.S. #224 in the background. Akron Municipal Airport. The dock is long enough to form a huge covered bridge over Niagara Falls with 75 feet to spare. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06204
Subjects: Akron (Ohio); Airships; Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company; Rubber industry
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: Back reads: Nov. 24, 1937 District #5 902 Municipal Building Akron, Ohio Goodyear Zeppelin Airdock, Akron, Ohio. It is 1200 feet in length and the largest building in the world without interior supports (1937). U.S. #224 in the background. Akron Municipal Airport. The dock is long enough to form a huge covered bridge over Niagara Falls with 75 feet to spare. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F10_005_001
Subjects: Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project; Airships
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: These three views show the wreckage of the U.S.S. Shenandoah airship in Ava, Noble County, Ohio. The crash site drew many curious onlookers and relic hunters. Each photograph measures 3.5" by 5.75" (8.89 by 14.61 cm). The Shenandoah was the first gas-filled rigid airship to be built in America, and the first airship inflated with helium, an inert gas, instead of hydrogen, which is potentially explosive. On the morning of September 3, 1925, the Shenandoah was caught in a storm over Ava, Ohio. It broke apart and crashed, killing 14 crew members, including its captain, Lieutenant Commander Zachary Lansdowne (1888-1925), a native of Greenville, Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1497_1160706_001
Subjects: Transportation; Disasters; Airships; Aircraft; Shenandoah (Airship)
Places: Ava (Ohio); Noble County (Ohio)
 

Description: Construction of the USS Akron, the first rigid, lighter than air ship (dirigible) built in Ohio. The airship's first flight was on September 23, 1931. It crashed into the Atlantic Ocean during a storm off the coast of New Jersey on April 4, 1933. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00779
Subjects: Airships; Ohio Economy--Transportation and Development; Aeronautics
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: The Goodyear company hangar in Akron, Summit County, Ohio, ca. 1940-1949. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00411
Subjects: Airships; Ohio Economy--Economy--Business
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: The U.S. Navy airship, U.S.S. Akron (ZRS-4) flying over the city of Akron, Ohio. The U.S.S. Akron was commissioned in October of 1931. In April of 1933, the U.S.S. Akron crashed off the coast of New Jersey, after encountering a storm. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F02_007_001
Subjects: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio); Airships
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)