24 August 1921 – RAF Howden – Short Brothers, Cardington - Rigid Admiralty Class A - R38/ZR2 - F/L Wann RAF – Flight testing and training of USN airmen
Location – River Humber just off the mouth of the River Hull
The most dramatic, catastrophic and newsworthy aviation tragedy in the region did not occur during WW1 or WW2 or Post War. It was an interwar event witnessed by tens of thousands of people and quite possibly over 100000 in and around Hull involving the R38 airship that killed 44 of the crew and made worldwide headlines. Incidentally the location of the R38 tragedy is approx 6 miles due north from my house.
The R38 class of rigid airships also known as the A class were designed for the Royal Navy during the final months of the WW1 to be used for long range patrol duties over the North Sea. Four airships were originally ordered by the Admiralty but orders for three of these were cancelled after the armistice with Germany. The R38 was the lead ship in this class and sold to the United States Navy in October 1919 before completion. The R38 was designated ZR2 by the USN hence the two identifications.
The R38 was one of the largest airships to be constructed and the event was the biggest airship disaster in terms of loss of life at that time and only later exceeded by the following:-
21 December 1923 - French Navy's Dixmude (ex Zeppelin LZ 114) exploded in mid-air over the Mediterranean near Sicily following an apparent lightning strike. All 50 on board killed.
5 October 1930 - British experimental design R101 nosedived into the ground flying at a low altitude during rainstorm in France and caught fire. 48 killed, 6 survivors.
4 April 1933 - USS Akron crashed at sea off the coast of New Jersey in a severe storm with 73 dead, of which many drowned or died of hypothermia. There were three survivors. This was the worst airship accident in terms of fatalities.
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Details of the last flight are as follows :-
Doubts about the airships strength arose after she sustained damage during the flight between Cardington and the large airship base at RAF Howden which was situated just north of Goole about 25 miles west of Hull. By 1918 Howden was the base for 80 airships and 1000 personnel.
After her fourth trial flight on the 23 August the R38 was ready the fly to Pulham, Norfolk where a mooring mast was available. On arrival at Pulham the R38/ZR2 was unable to land as the airfield was obscured by fog and the R38 spent the night cruising offshore. When the fog had not cleared by the next morning it was decided that they should return to Howden and carry out further trials en route.
On the 24 August after a brief speed trial during which a speed of 71.9 mph was reached, a series of turning trials commenced at a speed of 62.7 mph and an altitude of 2,500 ft. F/L Wann, who was in the control gondola, stated that the controls were never put beyond 15 degrees while Mr Bateman of the National Physical Laboratory who was recording pressures upon the vertical fins stated clearly that the rudders were being driven rapidly from hard over to hard over which would have been 25 degrees from one side to 25 degrees to the other.
Disaster struck. The airship suffered catastrophic structural failure breaking in two as it split apart amidships. There were two explosions in the front section at first attributed to fractures in the fuel lines and sparks from the electrical circuits. This caused the deaths of most of the crew. Further investigations concluded that the explosions were due to the ignition of petrol vapour.
Map showing last moments of the R38 as near as I can establish. Airship track shown in red. The blue oval is the Middle Sand Shoal area. The orange triangle if the Upper West Middle Light Float. A = Estimated position of the structural failure and explosion. B = Estimated position of the tail section fell into the river. C=Estimated position where the forward section fell in flames.
Four crew members who had been in the tail section survived. There was also one survivor from the forward section who sustained serious injuries and was hospitalised for some time.
The tail section floated down into the river and landed on or near the Middle Sand Shoal but the forward section was ripped apart by two explosions which blew out windows in Hull.
The forward section crashed in flames into the estuary just off Victoria Pier. Thousands watched the disaster unfold and locals took boats out to the burning wreck to try to save the crew. Tugs and harbour craft raced to the scene and a large floating crane known as the Bull was towed into place to recover wreckage which was piled on Riverside Quay for inspection
There is a memorial in the Western Cemetery on Spring Bank West Hull, to commemorate all those who lost their lives.
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The background and circumstances regarding the design, construction and operation of the airship are quite disturbing from start to finish and these set in motion a chain of events bringing about this tragic conclusion. There were four formal inquiries into this disaster.
3 October 1921 – Routine formal Coroner's Inquest. Verdict accidental death
8 October 1921 - A report of the Air Ministry investigation into the incident. This absolved the RAF blaming the Admiralty who designed the airship and were responsible for overseeing much of the construction.
January 1922 - The Admiralty Report.
February 1922 - The final report by the Aeronautical Research Committee into the R.38 incident concluded that the R38 was lost due to poor design caused by the lack of calculations into the aerodynamic stresses on the airship structure during high-speed manoeuvres.
I have added 2 links at the bottom of this page for those who wish to read the summaries of the reports.
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Nine of the victims are interred at the Western Cemetery Hull and commemorated on the memorial are :-
A/C Edward Maitland CMC DSO AFC RAF – Airship Base Howden
F/L Rupert Samuel Montague DFC RAF – Airship Base Howden
F/L I C Little AFC RAF - Airship Base Howden
F/O Thomas Frederick Mathewson AFC RAF – Airship Base Howden
LAC William Olivier RAF - Airship Base Howden
Sgt John Rye RAF - Airship Base Howden
LAC John William Wilson RAF
Mr C I R Campbell OBE – Superintendent Royal Airship Works.
Mr F Warren – Assistant Constructor Design, Royal Air Force.
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In addition the 13 were identified, claimed by their relatives and buried in their home towns.
F/O Victor Houghton Wicks RAF - Airship Base Howden – Reading Cemetery, Berkshire
F/S Frank Smith RAF – Stoney Royd Cemetery Halifax, Yorkshire
F/S S J Heath AFM RAF - Airship Base Howden – Kingston Cemetery Portsmouth Hampshire
F/S William Hunter Greener RAF – Seahouses Cemetery, Northumberland
F/S Alfred Thomas Martin RAF – Pulham Market Cemetery, Norfolk.
F/S Harold Thompson RAF – St Mary Churchyard Astbury, Cheshire
Sgt J W A Mason RAF – St Mary Church Cemetery Tenby Pembrokeshire.
LAC G S Anger RAF - Airship Base Howden – Caversham Cemetery, Reading, Berkshire.
LAC Charles William Penson RAF - Sleaford Cemetery, Lincolnshire
AC1 C W Donald RAF – Nellfield Cemetery Aberdeen, Scotland
AC2 R Withington RAF – St Margaret Churchyard, Wolstanton Staffordshire
Mr C W Duffield – National Physic Laboratory – South Ealing Cemetery London
Mr J R Pannell – National Physic Laboratory – Surbiton Cemetery, Kingston upon Thames. Greater London
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Six are commemorated on the Memorial at the Western Cemetery Hull but are recorded as Missing – Lost at Sea
F/L J E M Pritchard OBE AFC RAF
F/L Geoffrey Main Thomas DFC RAF
Sgt Frederick Ernest Burton RAF
AC1 John Cecil Drew RAF
AC1 Eric Edward Steere RAF
AC2 Roy Parker RAF
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Above 2 of the survivors. Left - Walter Potter RAF. Right - Norman Otto Walker USN. Pictured at RAF Howden a day or two after their miraculous escape
The British survivors were :-
From the rear section.
Mr Henry Bateman – National Physics Laboratory
F/S Walter Potter RAF – RAF Howden. Killed in R101 disaster 9 years later
LAC Ernest Wynne Davis RAF – RAF Howden. Injured. Nothing seems to be known of this airman or what became of him
From the front section
F/L Archibald Herbert Wann RAF – Sole survivor from the front section. Suffered very serious injuries from which he eventually made a good recovery and resumed his RAF career
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The American deceased who were later repatriated to the USA on HMS Dauntless were
Commander L A H Maxfield U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN
Lieut Comdr W N Bieg U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN
Lieut Comdr E W Coil U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN
Lieut C G Little U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN
Lieut H W Hoyt U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN
Lieut M H Esterly U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN
Chief Machinist's Mate L E Crowl U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN
Chief Machinist's Mate W A Julius U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN
Chief Machinist's Mate R Coons U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN
Chief Machinist's Mate W J Steele U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN
Chief Machinist's Mate A L Loftin U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN
Chief Machinist's Mate G Welch U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN
Chief Machinist's Mate J T Hancock U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN
Chief Machinist's Mate C J Aller U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN USN
Chief Boatswain's Mate A D Pettit U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN
Chief Boatswain's Mate M Lay U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN
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The American survivor was :-
From the rear section.
Rigger Norman Otto Walker U.S. Rigid Air Detachment USN - Born in 1901 and passed away in 1970. Buried at Riverside Cemetery, Toms River, Ocean County, New Jersey, USA
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Item compiled by David Fell. Credits see below websites
R38 disaster images
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Further recommended reading
Royal Aeronautical Society - The R38 disaster – 100 years on
The Airship Heritage Trust – R38/ZR2 Airship.
R38 British Crew
R38 USN Crew
Also this Pathe news video
R38 Pathe News Item
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