USS Akron (ZRS-4) - Aftermath of The Loss of USS Akron

Aftermath of The Loss of USS Akron

Akron's loss spelled the beginning of the end for the rigid airship in the US Navy, especially since one of its leading proponents, Rear Admiral Moffett, was killed with 72 other men. As President Roosevelt commented afterward: "The loss of the Akron with its crew of gallant officers and men is a national disaster. I grieve with the Nation and especially with the wives and families of the men who were lost. Ships can be replaced, but the Nation can ill afford to lose such men as Rear Admiral William A. Moffett and his shipmates who died with him upholding to the end the finest traditions of the United States Navy."

USS Macon and other airships received life jacket packs in order to avert a repetition of the tragedy.

Songwriter Bob Miller wrote and recorded a song—"The Crash of the Akron"—within one day of the disaster.