Show Many Bi Big Airships Are Lost Since War Val Since the close of the world war there have been seven major airship airship airship air air- ship or dirigible disasters The United States has had more than its share of these appalling catas catas- On August 25 1921 the 2 shortly after it had been purchased by Uncle Same from Great Britain fell into the Homber Horn Hom- ber ben river near Hull England completely completely completely com com- wrecked and with 44 dead The following year on February 21 the Roma an Italian built ship Crashed into high tension wires at Hampton n Roads Va killing killing killing kill kill- ing 34 persons The Bri British ish iah built the 2 for the Navy while the Roma was an army ship Frances France's big fell into the sea off Sicily on December 31 1923 and no trace of her or the 52 persons aboard ever was found Our first American built dirigible dirigible ble the Shenandoah was torn into in into into in- in to three pieces in a storm near Caldwell Ohio on the night of I J I 1 I J I I I j I I I I I September 3 1925 Fourteen of her crew were killed while 29 es es- es In May 1928 Italy's Italia Italia Ital Ital- ia la crashed in the Artie Artic while op oJ opan opan an exploring trip near the north pole killing eight of those on the expedition England's lands pride of the air the R R 10 I crashed into a hill hUl near Beauvais France on October 5 1930 killing 46 officers and men And now the seemingly mysterious crash of the queen of the American Navys Navy's air fleet the the I greatest disaster of them all I snuffs out the lives of 73 men Strange indeed does it seem I that the Germans pioneers in this type of aircraft despite all of their long flights over hazardous routes have yet to have their first major accident |