Jersey Shore Magazine

j e r s e y s h o r e • F A L L / H O L I D A Y 2 0 2 3 57 the Eye Naval Air Station Lakehurst In 1916, the Eddystone Chemical Corporation bought the first parcel of land from the Manchester Land Company, with the intention of using it as an ammunition testing ground for the Imperial Russian Army. Not long after, the United States Army purchased the property and renamed it Camp Kendrick. The facility was used for testing muni- tions shortly after the United States entered World War I. Following the war, the United States Navy pur- chased almost 1,500 acres of property to use as an airship station, and the based was renamed Naval Air Station Lakehurst (NAS Lakehurst) in 1921. Historic Hangar One and The Rigid Airships One of the most historic build- ings in New Jersey is found on NAS Lakehurst's grounds. Now a regis- tered historic landmark, Hangar One was constructed for four million dol- lars between 1917 and 1921. All four of the Navy's rigid, helium-filled air- ships once called Hangar One home. The USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) was the first rigid airship commissioned and constructed by the United States Navy. It was built at Lakehurst from 1922 to 1923, with its first flight in September 1923. The Shenandoah flew from Lakehurst to California, then on to Washington state in October 1924, becoming the first flight of a rigid airship across North America. The Shenandoah departed Lakehurst for her 57th flight on September 2, 1925 on a promotional trip to the Midwest, but the following day, the ship was destroyed by violent storms and crashed in three pieces in Ohio. Twenty-nine crew survived and four- teen died in the harrowing ordeal. While tethered to a mast at Lakehurst, The USS Los Angeles (ZR- 3) created a spectacle on August 25, 1927 when a gust of wind lifted her into colder, denser air, causing her tail to lift even higher. With crew on board, the airship eventually reached an angle of eighty-five degrees before it descended. Surprisingly, no injuries were reported, and the ship was able to fly the next day. On January 31, continued on page 58 Now a registered historic landmark, Hangar One was constructed between 1917 and 1921 for four million dollars. Shown here under construction circa 1919. The USS Los Angeles (ZR-3) going vertical in a gust of wind, August 25, 1927. 87th Air Base Wing Historian 87th Air Base Wing Historian

• Cover