The Tragic Story of USS Akron Disaster

[@rogerloess2379]

Utterly terrifying. Those poor guys

[@HistoryX]

Yep. Young lives wasted

[@eherrmann01]

It's amazing that seaman Cowart was able to hang on for two hours, especially at that height. That had to be brutal. Congratulations Ken on 100k subs!

[@heatherdavis8037]

I can't imagine the emotions and fear these brave men went through. I don't know how he was able to hold on. His body must have been in utter agony. He was just a kid. I just can't imagine him watching his friends fall. Brave brave men

[@ripwednesdayadams]

yeah, that was crazy.

[@cram1nblaze]

He kicked the other ones off to stop the spin they were creating. That’s why he’s laughing once he’s inside. Can’t blame him tho none of us know what we would do in that situation.

[@michaelbizon444]

Damn, those things were death traps. Majestic as all get out, but impractical in the extreme.

[@HistoryX]

I totally agree! They may have been beautiful, but safety definitely took a backseat in their design.

[@75thRangerguy]

Holy shit that second fall was horrific 😢

[@pacz8114]

Please check the audio -- there are odd sounds that were captured or unintentionally added to the narrator's voice.

[@illrhymes25]

this video is a very interesting case study of adrenaline vs fear, i wonder if those man decided to let go rather than being tired, like when people are afraid of heights will have a urge to jump rather than be up so high. or how did that one sailor hold on so long was it adrenaline or strength or mental toughness very interesting video for sure

[@drumdad54sdl47]

He stated that he tied the rope around his waist while being lifted into the air.

[@triplekillerable]

hesitation means death. like 1939 submarine rescue. they had to seal other side. Either let go of quick or held on for dear life.

[@reddeadjuju]

Looked like he was standing on all the handles he definitely didn't hold on by just 2 hands it be impossible​@@drumdad54sdl47

[@HobbyOrganist]

There's a big difference between gripping a rope to hold on with just your fingers, and wrapping it around even just your arm , hand or waist and just hanging there, the 2 who fell probably only had finger gripping on the rope the survivor had more.

[@maxmacdonald7174]

All sorts of to die in Navy, but this one is a hard felt.

[@HistoryX]

Thank you for watching

[@jvleasure]

Have two small pieces of the skin of the Shenandoah. Went down not too far from me.

[@crazyleyland5106]

I think Akron is an unlucky name for airships. Previously the US had had another airship called Akron that fell burning into the sea, killing everyone on board, including one of America's leading airshipmen. I didn't know until quite recently that the huge loss of life caused by this Akron falling into the sea was caused by lack of life saving equipment. It seems crazy that there was none, considering it was a naval airship. Macon was then given life saving equipment. So that's why when it also came down in the sea, all but 2 of the crew were saved.

[@crazyleyland5106]

@@drumdad54sdl47 there was an earlier airship called Akron, a semi rigid filled with hydrogen. Something happened to cause it to fall burning into the sea, killing everyone on board, including one of America s leading airship men at the time, who had the surname Vaniman.

[@RatPfink66]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvin_Vaniman and his crew of four died when the original _Akron_ exploded in July, 1912.

[@HobbyOrganist]

Apparently it was caught in a storm, a lower fin got caught up in the sea and the engines caused it to nose up, stall and crash, breaking apart, no mention of a fire or burning up that I found, but one of the passengers happened to be a guest of Rear Admiral Moffitt, the guy who designed and patented the bulldog hood ornament for Mack trucks, he was a Mack engineer and was recovering from surgery on leave when he designed the hood ornament and patented it 1932 April3, 1933 " Enveloped in fog, increased lightning and heavy rain, it became extremely turbulent at 00:15. The Akron began a rapid nose-down descent, reaching 1,100 feet while still falling. Ballast was dumped, which stabilized the ship at 700 feet, and climbed back to 1,600-foot cruising altitude. Then a second violent descent sent the Akron downwards at 14 feet per second . "Landing stations" alerted the crew, as the ship descended tail-down. The lower fin struck the sea, water entered the fin, and the stern was dragged under. The engines pulled the ship into a nose-high attitude, then the Akron stalled, and crashed into the sea. Akron broke up rapidly and sank in the stormy Atlantic.

[@ripwednesdayadams]

why didn’t they let go earlier..?

[@Engb3259]

They should have told them boys don't let it pick you up!