The Aeroconservancy Museum Original Artifacts from 1914-1918
Shenandoah Outer Fabric
This is a large piece of fabric measuring 10 inches by 7 inches from the outer covering of the U.S.S. Shenandoah (ZR-1) which crashed on September 3, 1925, in Ohio. It has been cut into two pieces and both are shown together to make up the total size of 10" by 7". The thread count of the cotton fabric is 120 threads per inch. It has been painted with aluminum dope. The USS Shenandoah was the first of four United States Navy rigid airships. It was constructed during 1922–1923 at Lakehurst Naval Air Station, and first flew in September, 1923. On its 57th flight, the Shenandoah was destroyed in a squall with the loss of life of 14 crew members. From the Joan Reisig Collection. Joan Reisig's obituary states that she “worked for engineering firms in Cleveland and the Akron area before working for Goodyear Aerospace as a design draftsman in advanced airships. Also, at the Wingfoot Lake Blimp Base for a total of 20 years. She was associated with the Lighter than Air Society” (Akron Beacon Journal, March 25, 2019). Later in her career she was the archivist for the Engineering Department of the Airship Support Group at Goodyear. This lot includes the two pieces of outer fabric but not the other 'Shenandoah' items.