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Zeppelin LZ 126 Los Angeles (ZR-3)
Zeppelin · Military / Training Rigid Airship / Training / Experimental / Mooring Mast Development · Germany / USA · Interwar (1919–1938)
Built in Germany as WWI war reparations, Los Angeles became the most successful rigid airship in US Navy service — 331 flights and 4,398 hours with no fatalities. Used to develop mooring mast techniques and trapeze-launch experiments that fed into the Akron and Macon programmes. Uniquely, it was safely decommissioned in 1932 rather than lost to accident. Famous for a 1927 photograph showing it standing vertically from its mooring mast in a gust.
Specifications
Category
Airship
Sub-Category
Rigid Airship
Domain
Defence
Era
Interwar (1919–1938)
Country
Germany / USA
Manufacturer
Zeppelin
Operator
US Navy
Primary Role
Military / Training Rigid Airship / Training / Experimental / Mooring Mast Development