- Zachary Lansdowne
Lieutenant Commander Zachary Lansdowne, USN (
1 December 1888 -3 September 1925 ) was aU.S. Navy officer and early Naval Aviator who contributed to the development of the Navy's first lighter-than-air craft. He died in command of the airship USS "Shenandoah" (ZR-1), which crashed in Ohio on3 September 1925 .Born in
Greenville, Ohio , Lansdowne was appointed to theNaval Academy 2 September 1905 and commissioned Ensign5 June 1911 . He subsequently served on the destroyer USS "McCall" (DD-28), and in theOhio Naval Militia . After completing his aviation training, he became Naval Aviator 105.Lansdowne was assigned to duty with the
Royal Naval Air Service during and after World War I, to study dirigibles. He was awarded theNavy Cross “for distinguished service...as one of the crew of the British airship R-34, which in July 1919, made the first successful nonstop passage fromEngland to theUnited States .” He married Margaret Kennedy Ross (September 30, 1902-June 9, 1982) on December 7, 1921 in Washington D.C. She was later remarried John Caswell Jr. on February 27, 1927. Caswell died on December 23, 1954 in Washington D.C.On11 February 1924 he took command of the rigid lighter-than-air ship, USS "Shenandoah" (ZR-1), and was killed when she crashed atAva, Ohio ,3 September 1925 .The crash of the "Shenandoah" was the trigger for
Army Colonel Billy Mitchell to heavily criticize the leadership of both the Army and the Navy, leading directly to hiscourt-martial for insubordination and the end of his military career.Namesake
The USS "Lansdowne" (DD-486), a "Gleaves"-class
destroyer , andLansdowne Airport inYoungstown, Ohio were named in his honor.References
External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/l3/lansdowne.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Lansdowne"]
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/avh-1910/APP01.PDF Appendix I. "The History of Naval Aviator and Naval Aviation Pilot Designations and Numbers, The Training of Naval Aviators and the Number Trained (Designated)."] Grossnick, Roy et al. "History of United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995". Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, 1997, p. 404.
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