A list of the officers and crew aboard USS Shenandoah when the ship crashed in Ohio on September 3, 1925. The names of the 14 officers and sailors killed in the crash are in red.
Six survivors of the Shenandoah were lost in the wreck of USS Akron in 1933; two survived the crash of USS Macon in 1935.
[22 April 2013: My deep appreciation to Eric Brothers for offering corrections regarding sailors Louis Allely, G. W. Armour, and George C. Schnitzer.]
OFFICERS
Zachary Lansdowne in control car of USS Shenandoah
Lt. Cdr. Zachary Lansdowne, Commanding
Lt. Cdr. Louis Hancock
Lt. Cdr. Charles E. Rosendahl [biography]
Lt. J. B. Lawrence
Lt. Arthur R. Houghton
Lt. Roland G. Mayer
Lt. Edgar W. Sheppard
Lieutenant Charles E. Bauch
Lt. Thomas C. Henley
Lt. J. Bruce Anderson
WO Raymond Cole, Radio Officer
Chief Machinist Shine Spottswood Halliburton
Col. Chalmers G. Hall, U.S. Army Air Service
Walter Richardson (Lt. USNR, Civilian Photographer)
ENLISTED
William H. Spratley
Louis E. Allely (Aviation Chief Rigger)
Everett P. Allen (Aviation Chief Rigger)
G. W. Armour (Radioman)
Henry A. Ballard (AMM2c | Avn. Mach. Mate 2d) [Died aboard USS Akron]
Henry L. Boswell (Rigger, First Class) [Died aboard USS Akron]
Charles H. Broome (AMM1c | Avn. Mach. Mate 1st)
James W. Cullinan (Aviation Pilot)
Arthur E. Carlson (Aviation Chief Rigger) [Died aboard USS Akron]
Lester Coleman (ACMM | Avn. Chf. Mach. Mate)
James H. Collier (Aviation Chief Rigger)
Mark Donovan (CBM | Chief Boatswain’s Mate)
John J. Hahn (SC1c | Ships Cook 1st)
Benjamin O. Hereth (AMM1c | Avn. Mach. Mate 1st)
Ralph T. Joffray, St. Louis, Aviation Rigger, First Class.
Walter Johnson (ACMM | Avn. Chf. Mach. Mate)
Ralph Jones (AMM1c | Avn. Mach. Mate 1st)
Julius Eugene Malak (AMM2c | Avn. Mach. Mate 2d) [USS Macon survivor]
Franklyn E. Masters (Airship Pilot)
Celestino P. Mazzucco (AMM1c | Avn. Mach. Mate 1st)
John F. Mccarthy (Aviation Chief Rigger)
James A. Moore, Jr. (AMM1c | Avn. Mach. Mate 1st)
Bartholomew H. O’Sullivan (AMM1c | Avn. Mach. Mate 1st)
Frank L. Peckham (Aviation Chief Rigger)
August C. Quernheim (AMM1c | Avn. Mach. Mate 1st) [Died aboard USS Akron]
William A. Russell (ACMM | Avn. Chf. Mach. Mate) [Died aboard USS Akron]
George C. Schnitzer (CRM | Chief Radioman)
Joseph Shevlowitz (AMM1c | Avn. Mach. Mate 1st) [Died aboard USS Akron]
Charles Solar (AMM1c | Avn. Mach. Mate 1st) [USS Macon survivor]
William H. Spratley (AMM1c | Avn. Mach. Mate 1st)
Frederick J. Tobin (CBM, Airship Pilot)
Richardson Wilson (Sea2c | Seaman Second Class)
USS Shenandoah, with (l to r) Zachary Lansdowne, William Moffett, Maurice Pierce, J. H. Deem, Chalmers Hall
My great uncle was Col. Chalmers G. Hall who survived the crash and is shown in the picture of the 5 men standing in front of the Shenandoah. Thanks for the information.
Came across a curious letter with a sketch of the zr-1 airship and support boat. It was an original letter fixed to a old wooden board and hung on the wall of a hotel in Columbia, Latin America. I can make out the name H.C.Preston and the sketch of the boat has an arrow pointing to ‘James’ who is on the deck. Reference in the letter to Baltimore and New Hampshire.
My Grandfather was supposed to be on the crew but was hurt the day before the flight – he left me a number of pictures of the blimp and its crew
My uncle Frank Peckham was a crew member who survived the crash also. And later had to give an account of what happen which did not sit well with the public as to what caused it to happen. He was a great man soft spoken but he could only tell the truth.
My great grandfather, Walter L. Richardson, was a surviving member of this crash, and also a Naval aerial photographer (the first!). Are the photos on this page his work? As a photographer myself (the land bound kind), I am curious!
My granfather survuved this crash, went on to serve in WWII, with his son, my father..
You are very blessed indeed. You exist today because God spared your grandfather.
an amazing story about father and son , ww11. my sincere thanks to both of them these patriots. if you could share anything about you dad and grandfather, i would be most appreciative. hope to hear from you.
email: [email protected]
Perhaps as a glimpse into the future, the USS Los Angeles once flew over Ebbets Field while a Dodgers game was in progress
so did the hindenburg on the day it crashed. i know the relatives very well of the player that was pitching for the dodgers that day: van lingle mungo of pageland, sc , 30 miles from where i live.
so did the hindenburg on the day it crashed. i know the relatives very well of the player that was pitching for the dodgers that day: van lingle mungo of pageland, sc , 30 miles from where i live. he was in the major leagues for 14 years.
There’s a great picture of the survivors at FloridaMemory.com
I have a great picture of Fredirick Tobin later in his career with a small picture of the Hindenburg and hand written note, signed. 1974. All are in one frame, from a museum in Fort Worth TX
would you be willing to share a copy of that photo? would love to have a copy. thanks for a reply.
david
can you share a picture of officer tobin. i would be grateful. i know he help save many lives in the hindenburg disaster. i will give you my cell: 704-254-0859 call me anytime. hope to hear from you.
My grandfather, Clarence Barrier was stationed on the Shenandoah. He had duty the night of the crash, but exchanged duty with another crew member, before takeoff. Would anyone know who that crew member was?
hi mike . can you share anything with me regarding your grandfather & the shenandoah? i would greatly appreciate it. hope to hear from you soon.
david
I am looking for any information on John Francis McCarthy ,
Thank you
Bob,
John Francis McCarthy was my uncle. What sort of information are you seeking?
Hi Joan , John Francis McCarthy was the son of John McCarthy and an Ormond ,
my wife Kate and you are cousins, please get in touch,
Kate and Bob,
Ireland,
Hi Joan here is my email address [email protected]
you and my wife Kate are cousins ( Ormond) we are in Ireland,
we would love to hear from you
Kate and Bob,
Hi Joan , John F McCarthy and my wife Kate are related ( Ormond)
Please get in touch,
Bob and Kate,
in Ireland,
I am a junior to my father who was George, Sr. who is alive and born in 1925. I have little information on our family other than our side came from Germany around 1900, and I am not aware of anyone else who has our name. Is there any information regarding radioman George C. Schnitzer, where he lived descendants, etc.
My grandfather was William Schnitzer, he had a brother Joseph lived in NY, was an decorative iron worker, fences gates, etc.
Ironically, my dad was a radioman in WWII, stationed in France.
ANy information is appreciated.
My Great Uncle was your father. My Uncle was George Conrad Schnitzer, who passed more than a year ago, being named after your dad. My late grandfather is your Dad’s bother, Robert Ferns Schnitzer, and my dad is Jr. to him. My father has a sister, Carole Magruder, and a brother, William Schnitzer, being named after your grandfather, who are still living. My dad is still living, but his memory is not the best. All of Robert Schnitzer’s 4 children were born and raised in Newport, Rhode Island, and he was born in New York City, I believe, and lost his parents to the flu epidemic and was placed in a boy’s orphanage along with his 2 brothers, William and George.
I hope this makes sense and is of some help to you.
OOPS. I’m sorry. I didn’t see that your father was George CHARLES Schnitzer. However, I am certain that we are related, though distantly. It is my understanding that my great uncle was George Conrad Schnitzer, the radio man on the ship, as my grandfather and father always said. The rest of the info I gave is accurate, though. My dad, Robert Jr. was born in 1927, he is the oldest, and George Conrad is the second oldest. It was very hard on my grandfather, Robert Sr. to lose his brother, George, since their family was so devastated by the death of their parents. I thought there were only 3 boys, but I might be mistaken. My uncle,William Schnitzer, is a retired Episcopal priest from New Jersey, and his wife Carole “Cal” Schnitzer is on facebook. They would probably know a lot more info on the family than I.
george schnitzer is buried in a cemetery in tuckerton, n.j. according to a friend of mine. he was killed in the shenandoah crash. call me anytime: david :704-254-0859
Note: Aviation Rigger Louis E. Allely did not die in the crash. He was my great uncle and I enjoyed his company many times ove the years. My grandfather actually picked him up at the crash site and took him home to Worthington, O. He had been granted a immediate leave for a few days to recover. Things were a little less formal in those days.
do you have any information you would be willing to share regarding your great uncle & his shenandoah experiences? thanks for a reply.
david
Gil,
This picture shows Uncle Maurice R Pierce (mother’s uncle). He was commander of the airship USS Los Angeles. He was the husband of mother’s aunt Cecilia.
Let me know if you don’t get the picture and I’ll give you the website.
Chriss
Geeez, Gil, Brian Wilson—you know…the Beach Boy!
can you possibly share one of those pictures with me? i am an avid airship researcher. many thanks.
david
hi. do you know where i might get a copy of the uss los angeles? thanks for a response.
david
Chriss, my grandfather was Aunt Cecilia’ s brother. His son, James Bernard Quigley, was my father. I visited her when she lived in Hollywood and I was stationed at 29 Palms, CA during the late 70’s. They are buried in Arlington. Please contact me if you would like to talk.
Joe Quigley
Emerald Isle, NC