America Had Flying Aircraft Carriers

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By the early 20th century, Imperial Japan had established itself as the dominant force in Asia. Through ruthless military conquests, the small island nation greatly expanded its borders. The rising imperial power soon set its sights on conquering much of East Asia. By 1921, nearly a third of Japan’s national budget was dedicated to building one of the most powerful navies in the world.

In response to Japan and other world powers rapidly expanding their naval strength, the Washington Naval Treaty was signed in 1922 to impose restrictions on the size and number of warships. However, American military planners were not convinced—rightfully so—that Imperial Japan would adhere to these new restrictions for very long. The United States, surrounded by two enormous oceans, seemed increasingly vulnerable.

In War Plan Orange (first outlined in 1919 and revised in subsequent years), military planners devised strategies for a possible war with Imperial Japan. Particular attention was given to key targets like the United States’ West Coast, Pearl Harbor, and the vital Suez Canal. With millions of square kilometers of open Pacific Ocean, it was possible for the Imperial Japanese Navy to go undetected for weeks before launching a surprise attack. Scout cruisers were the U.S. Navy’s primary means of searching for enemy fleets, but they were too slow, too few in number, and too costly to adequately cover the vast Pacific. Aircraft of the era also lacked the range to scout large sections of the ocean. In response, Admiral William A. Moffett, Chief of the U.S. Bureau of Aeronautics, advocated for a radical alternative.

Under Moffett’s direction, the United States began experimenting with rigid airships in 1923. Airships appeared to be the ideal solution for enhancing the Navy’s long-range scouting capabilities. As “scout cruisers of the air,” airships combined the extended range of surface vessels with speeds nearly as fast as aircraft. The Navy’s first two rigid airships, the USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) and USS Los Angeles (ZR-3), helped pioneer the operational intricacies of airship use in a military setting. Navy crews trained for long-range day missions and practiced mooring to ships at sea to replenish fuel and helium. The Navy also perfected the practice of carrying, launching, and recovering aircraft in mid-flight, which was considered vital for airship defense.

In 1929, construction began on two of the largest airships the world had ever seen: the USS Akron (ZRS-4) and the USS Macon (ZRS-5). Defended by machine guns and equipped with internal hangars capable of carrying five Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk biplane fighters, these airships were scouting warships in every sense. If they proved successful, there were plans to build at least a dozen more to help patrol the vast Pacific Ocean and keep America safe.

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27 thoughts on “America Had Flying Aircraft Carriers”

  3. My dad (who, interestingly enough, would go on to join the Navy near the end of WWII, and serve in the Pacific) was 8 when he snapped a pic of the Macon when it overflew northern IL, on an endurance test in 1933 I think. (The family had one of those cheap Brownie box cameras.) The photo is likely still in an album back at the old house. And it just hit me that he'd be turning 100 this March. Wow, there's not many of them left, are there? But damn did all of them have some real stories.

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  9. 13:37 If they'd all been smart, this would have been the start of the "Naval Mail Service", which would just happen to spot enemy ships sometimes.
    They could also go on weather charting missions, which would just happen to spot enemy ships sometimes.
    And finally, they could go on search & rescue patrols, which would just happen to spot enemy ships sometimes.
    The public would hear all kinds of feel good stories about these versatile air ships, which really were worth the expense for all these other things they do.

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  12. Very informative and accurate. Thank you. I have always loved lighter than air and read every decent book on them. My grandfather was a civilian LTA flight trainer at NAS Key West who trained many of the sailors who went on to be USN LTA senior staff. He quit in 1921, but stayed in contact with them until his death.

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  18. We have a book from Lakehurst thats full of photos of the base and hanger one and the personal on board at the time 58 thru 61. As a boy i got to go on the blimp when my father took me to work with him, later on in life he was asked to head up the lighter than air exhibit at the naval aviation musem in the 70's.

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  20. Airships are whales that swim in the sky. A iconic and romantic symbol of yore. so pity that the era of these giant steel monsters was over and we would not live to see the day when they were back. Like armored trains, they belong to the fantasy world. I am still impressed by the scene of 天空の城ラピュタ in which military airships swamp the heaven.

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  27. (I hope mustard sees this) I love all of your videos and the quality you put in to them and I would love to to see your videos on Nebula but as a platform Nebula sucks, there's so many bugs with the app, constant buffering and playback issues just to name some if there was a way I and many other people im sure would pay for a YT membership where you can put your nebula exclusives here on YT as well.

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