A list of the officers, crew, and guests aboard USS Akron when the ship crashed at sea April 3-4, 1933. Of the 76 men aboard Akron, only three survived the crash; their names appear in blue.
Six of the men killed in the wreck of the Akron had survived the crash of USS Shenandoah in 1925.
Akron Executive Officer Herbert V. Wiley was in command of USS Macon when the Macon crashed at sea north of San Francisco on February 12, 1935.
OFFICERS:
Rear Admiral William A. Moffett
Cdr. Frank C. McCord, Commanding
Lt. Cdr. Herbert V. Wiley, Executive Officer
Lt. Cdr. Harold E. McClellan
Lt. George Calnan
Lt. Herbert M. Wescoat
Lt. Richard F. Cross, Jr.
Lt. (jg) Hammond J. Dugan
Lt. (jg) Charles F. Miller
Lt. (jg) Morgan Redfield
Lt. (jg) Wilfred Bushnell
Lt. (jg) Cyrus Clendening
Chief Machinist George C. Walsh
PASSENGERS/GUESTS
RAdm. William A. Moffett, Chief of the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics
Cdr. Fred T. Berry, CO NAS Lakehurst/CO Rigid Airship Training & Experimental Squadron
Cdr. Harry B. Cecil (Aide to Rear Admiral Moffett)
Lt. Joseph H. Severyns
Lt. (jg) Robert E. Sayre
Lt. (jg) Charles H. Calloway
Col. Alfred F. Masury, U.S. Army Reserve (V.P., Mack Truck Co.)
USS Akron Survivors Moody Erwin (left), Herbert V. Wiley (center), Richard Deal (right)
ENLISTED
Anderson, Victor C. (AMM3C | AVN. MACH. MATE 3D)
Angeles, Maximo (Matt1c | Mess Attend. 1st)
Arthur, Wellington K. (ACMM | Avn. Chf. Mach. Mate)
Austin, Wilton G. (BM2c | Boatswain’s Mate 2d)
Ballard, Henry A. (BM2c | Boatswain’s Mate 2d) [USS Shenandoah Survivor]
Barnhart, Bennie, (Cox | Coxswain)
Baughman, Harold R. (F3c | Fireman 3d)
Boelsen, Peter (AMM2c | Avn. Mach. Mate 2d)
Boswell, Henry L. (CBM | Chief Boatswain’s Mate) [USS Shenandoah Survivor]
Carlson, Arthur E. (CBM | Chief Boatswain’s Mate) [USS Shenandoah Survivor]
Carr, Stewart S. (CEM | Chief Electricians Mate)
Cooper, Fred (AMM2c | Avn. Mach. Mate 2d)
Copeland, Robert W. (CRM | Chief Radioman)
Cridlin, Stanley L. (AMM3c | Avn. Mach. Mate 3d)
Deal, Richard E. (CBM | Chief Boatswain’s Mate)
Dean, Carl C. (CBM | Chief Boatswain’s Mate)
Duncan, Lester G. (F3c | Fireman 3d)
Engler, Ralph (Cox | Coxswain)
Erwin, Moody E. (AM2c | Aviation Metalsmith 2d)
Eschette, Horace P. (SC1c | Ships Cook 1st)
Fahey, Lawrence E. (AMM2c | Avn. Mach. Mate 2d)
Fennessy, Edward (ACOM | Aviation Chief Ordnanceman)
Fink, Elmer E. CTM
Graves, Hilbert N. (AMM3c | Avn. Mach. Mate 3d)
Hackett, Earl P. (CAerog | Chief Aerographer)
Hill, William T. (PhM1c | Pharmacist’s Mate 1st)
Hoover, Paul S. (SC3c | Ships Cook3d)
Hulting, Lewis O. (Cox | Coxswain)
Jandick, Paul A. (CBM | Chief Boatswain’s Mate)
Johnson, Rufus B. (BM2c | Boatswain’s Mate 2d)
Latham, W.R. (CBM | Chief Boatswain’s Mate)
Lamkin, H.R. (Sea1c | Seaman First Class)
Liles, Leon D. (CAerog | Chief Aerographer)
Lipke, Donald H. (AMM1c | Avn. Mach. Mate 1st);
Magnuson, Fridolf R. (AMM3c | Avn. Mach. Mate 3d)
McLellan, Benjamin C. (AMM2c | Avn. Mach. Mate 2d)
Molen, Herschel L RM1c; Oronez, Mario (Matt1c | Mess Attend. 1st)
Quernheim, August C. (ACMM | Avn. Chf. Mach. Mate) [USS Shenandoah Survivor]
Rader, Leonard G. (Cox | Coxswain)
Russell, William A. (ACMM | Avn. Chf. Mach. Mate) [USS Shenandoah Survivor]
Rutan, Lucius W. (ACMM | Avn. Chf. Mach. Mate)
Rytell, John (AMM1c | Avn. Mach. Mate 1st)
Shauger, Paul R. (AMM3c | Avn. Mach. Mate 3d);
Shevlowitz, Joseph (ACMM | Avn. Chf. Mach. Mate) [USS Shenandoah Survivor]
Slayton, Douglas C. (RM3c | Radioman 3d)
Starr, Fred W. (Sea1c | Seaman First Class)
Stine, Ralph C. (QM1c | Quartermaster 1st)
Swidersky, Tony F. (Cox | Coxswain)
Thigpen, Benjamin J.,Jr. (AMM3c | Avn. Mach. Mate 3d)
Tomes, Gerald L. (F3c | Fireman 3d)
Ulrich, Oliver (BM2c | Boatswain’s Mate 2d)
Walck, Lewis T.(AMM2c | Avn. Mach. Mate 2d)
Weeks, John L (Sea2c | Seaman Second Class)
Wind, Nobart (AMM3c | Avn. Mach. Mate 3d)
Zanetti, Joseph (AMM3c | Avn. Mach. Mate 3d)
Zimkus, Joseph J. (BM1c | Boatswain’s Mate 1st).
My wife’s great uncle was Moody Erwin. She has his service record along with his ID bracelet
So sad
My great uncle was on there, Peter Boelsen.
Mine was too brother, RIP uncle Charles callaway
Rest in peace. SAILORS////whitey walker
May they all be resting in Peace. I have a piece of sheet music entitled “Akron’s Last Flight.” I can’t find any reference online that it was written to commemorate the USS Akron’s crash. I can’t think of any other occasion this song would be attached to.
I was a PH2 in my enlistment and a bit surprised there wasn’t a Photographer’s Mate aboard the Navy Airship.
May they all be resting in Peace.
I have a piece of sheet music entitled “Akron’s Last Flight.” I can’t find it anywhere on the net to verify it as a song about this airship, but I can’t think of any other event it would be about.
I was a Ph2 in my enlistment, and was a bit surprised their wasn’t a Photographer’s Mate aboard the
USS Akron.
I had the honor of meeting Mr. Moody Erwin when I was stationed at NAEC Lakehurst New Jersey 1984-1988. I was a Hospital Corpsman (Medic) working in the family clinic.
My wife’s step brother who is 94 and lives with us lost his Father on the Akron.
my uncle, leonard rader was not on your enlisted men list
He was on the enlisted list. My mother was married to him when the Akron went down.
Betty – Leonard was my Grandmother’s (Maymie) brother. We know nothing about his wife at the time. Did they have children together?
My father’s brother was Lewis T. Walck (Walck, Lewis T.(AMM2c | Avn. Mach. Mate 2d)) who was aboard the night the Akron went down. My father told me that Lewis went in place of someone who’s wife was having a baby and was not supposed to be on the flight. I have a picture of Lewis that my father gave me but it is not the Akron. He was seated looking out the window of what would appear to be an external port side engine nacelle. It is the only picture I have of him, could the nacelle been on the Shenandoah? I do have a Christmas card that Lewis mailed to my father and he gives his address as the Akron. Any info anyone has would be greatly appreciated. I can be emailed directly at [email protected]. Thanks….
my great, great uncle Mark Milligan was on the Akron crew but was not on this flight. his wife was pregnant at the time but did not give birth until months later. he went on to fly with the Macon but died of a heart attack before that crashed.
That is so interesting..my uncle Lewis O Hulting (coxswain) perished on th the Akron. I was told for years that he was scheduled off that night, but volenteered to take the place of another crew member whose wife was due to have a baby. Curious that both he and Walck were Lewis