Posted on June 28, 2022 by Hunter Hulbert - Community

Hangar No. 1 was the first major facility constructed at Lakehurst NAS, and, today, it is a registered National Historic Landmark. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

Pivotal moments have propelled many advances in human history. The Lakehurst Naval Air Station (NAS) has been one of those places forever etched in the minds of mankind, and not just for the unfortunate crash of the Hindenburg.  

“Although Navy Lakehurst will always be remembered as the site of the Hindenburg disaster, many other significant events have taken place here,” said Jennifer Suwak, senior vice president for the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society. “Airships Shenandoah, Los Angeles, Akron and Macon all called the NAS home. Navy Lakehurst was also the first international airport in the U.S., plus the first Navy Helicopter Squadron and the first live ejection seat test were at Navy Lakehurst.”  

Before it became the Lakehurst NAS property, it originally began in 1916 as an ammunition testing site for the Imperial Russian Army. The property was then purchased by the U.S. Army, later naming it Camp Kendrick. Additional acres would be purchased by the Navy, transitioning the Camp Kendrick property to the Navy over time. In 1921, it was finally renamed Lakehurst Naval Air Station.  

After the Wright brothers’ successful conquest of pioneering flight by a motorized airplane in 1903 with the heavier-than-air Wright Flyer (aka Kitty Hawk), interest had surged for more aviation innovations — now knowing that human flight was indeed possible.  

In the early 1900s, Germany pioneered the development of zeppelins, a type of rigid airship noted for its lighter-than-air concept, introduced by inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin.  

The success of the rigid airships became of great interest to the United States. The aircraft was used primarily for patrolling and bombing missions by Germany; the United States would use them for coastal patrols and keeping American ships protected from submarine attacks. Throughout the 1920s and ’30s, the United States started constructing many rigid airships at the Lakehurst NAS. Navy pilots and crew would be trained to operate the dirigibles.  

The first rigid airship constructed at Lakehurst NAS was the USS Shenandoah. Its first flight was in September of 1923. Photo by Rell Clements

Hangar No. 1 was the first major facility constructed at Lakehurst NAS, and, today, it is a registered National Historic Landmark. At a construction cost of $4 million, the enormous structure housed helium-filled blimps. The massive steel doors are mounted on a trolley-track system that open with two 20-horsepower motors.  

The first rigid airship constructed at Lakehurst NAS was the USS Shenandoah. Its first flight was in September of 1923. It was unfortunately destroyed in September 1925 when passing through a squall-line storm. Caught in a violent updraft and beyond the pressure limits of the gas bags, it tore apart and crashed near Caldwell, Ohio in several pieces.  

Hangar No. 1 was also home to the USS Akron and the USS Macon, two rigid Akron-class airships constructed in the early 1930s. Designed to recover heavier-than-air planes, they were both equipped with their own hangar that could store up to five aircraft.  

The USS Los Angeles, right, was another airship that was housed at Hangar No. 1. Photo courtesy of U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

The USS Los Angeles was another airship that was housed at Hangar No. 1. It was built by Germany in 1923-24 and was originally known as LZ-126. It was ultimately delivered to the United States as part of the German war reparations from World War I, and the United States mainly used it for tests.  

Lakehurst has a total of six, large hangars — the largest blimp complex in the United States. Construction for Hangar No. 2 was completed in 1942 and was used for blimp maintenance. Hangar No. 3 was completed not too far after the completion of Hangar No. 2; it also housed blimps. Hangar No. 4 stored hot air balloons, and Hangars No. 5 and 6 housed additional rigid airships and blimps.  

On May 3, 1937, at 7:25 p.m., the Hindenburg caught fire and was quickly consumed by flames. Of the 97 people that were on board, 62 people survived. Photo courtesy of San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives

The Hindenburg: A Fiery Fate  

Germany’s prized dirigible, the Hindenburg, was the largest ever to have been constructed by the German Zeppelin Co. Lakehurst NAS was the only airbase suited to serve as a port for rigid airships in the United States. On May 3, 1937, the Hindenburg started its 63rd flight. It left the Frankfurt Airfield in Germany and made its way over the Atlantic Ocean. Once it reached the East Coast, it flew over Boston and then New York, finally arriving at Lakehurst NAS on May 6 just after 4 p.m. Poor weather was a concern, so a recommendation was made to the Hindenburg’s captain to delay the landing. Capt. Max Pruss flew the passengers over New Jersey’s seaside to wait for the weather conditions to improve at Lakehurst NAS. Around 6 p.m., weather conditions improved, and it was suitable for landing. Just after 7 p.m., the Hindenburg started its landing procedures, known as the flying moor. Mooring cables and landing ropes were dropped, and, at 7:25 p.m., the Hindenburg caught fire and was quickly consumed by flames. Of the 97 people that were on board, 62 people survived.  

In 1951, the Naval Air Technical Training Center was established at Lakehurst NAS. Now known as Naval Aviation Technical Training, it had trained sailors “to serve as aviation boatswain’s mates, aircrew survival equipment men, aerographer’s mates, naval security guards and Marine Corps expeditionary airfield technicians.”  

All operations with airships were ceased in 1962 by the Navy. The last nonrigid airship was built by the Goodyear Aircraft Corp. and was the world’s largest. It was stored for many years at Lakehurst NAS, but it currently resides at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Fla.  

A replica of the Hindenburg’s control gondola sits inside Hangar No. 1, which was created for a 1975 movie about the disaster. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Suwak

Keeping A ‘Local Legacy Alive’  

The Navy Lakehurst Historical Society (NLHS) is a nonprofit organization committed to preserving the history of the Naval Air Station Lakehurst.   

“NLHS is a group of highly skilled and dedicated volunteers that work tirelessly to preserve this history,” Suwak said. “From giving tours and educating the public on the fascinating and important history, to restoring aircraft to military specifications for preservation and education, to creating engaging films to preserve stories of the base and former personnel, the NLHS volunteers help keep history alive at Navy Lakehurst. New members are welcome, and donations are appreciated to help keep this local legacy alive.”  

The organization offers free tours, but visitors must be pre-registered. Visit NLHS.com for more information or call 732-600-8055.  

Kathleen Butler writes about little-known local history so that others can venture out and explore these gems. She also has a YouTube channel, Rustic Ventures, as well as two published books: Abandoned Ruins on Public Lands in New Jersey and Abandoned Ruins of Eastern Pennsylvania.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.

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