The USS Akron, a rigid airship commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1931, flies over Montgomery near its base at Maxwell Field. It was the world's first purpose-built flying aircraft carrier and was among the largest flying aircraft ever built, at approximately 785 feet. The ship crashed off the New Jersey coast in 1933, killing 73 men.
USS Akron over Montgomery 1931
Courtesy of Air University, Office of History
