Tuesday 23 October 2012

R38 Disaster Memorial


You'll no doubt have heard of the Hindenberg disaster in which 35 were killed when a hydrogen filled airship caught fire onlanding in New Jersey; I doubt you'll have much awareness of a similar disaster sixteen years earlier that claimed even more lives in the skies near Hull. On August 23rd 1921 an R38 airship was completing its trials from Howden, when it broke up and crashed into the Humber near Hull's Victoria Pier claiming 44 lives and putting the brakes on the British airship industry. This memorial in the Western Cemetery has two plaques one for the British and one for the US aircrew. Several crew members are interred beneath this memorial.

There similar posts over at Taphophile Tragics.

3 comments:

  1. I was aware of the disater, because I'm odd in many ways and research this sort of stuff all the time. Nice to see the final resting place of some of those involved.

    Beneath Thy Feet

    ReplyDelete
  2. My grandfather was one of the American airmen that died in this crash. And yes, I have always been disturbed that the crash of a NAZI airship is given more publicity.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ouch. dead men are dead men and at the time they were German Aviators. I come from a British Military family and respect all who fall for their country whilst abiding with the geneva convention.

    ReplyDelete