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Description
| Manufacturer: | Goodyear | |
| Base model: | ZPG | |
| Designation: | ZPG | |
| Version: | -3W | |
| Designation System: | U.S. Navy / Marines | |
| Designation Period: | 1941-1962 | |
| Basic role: | Airship, Patrol | |
Specifications
| Not Yet Available |
Known serial numbers
Recent comments by our visitors
| Cathy Carey Nahant, MA | My brother, Lt. William Carey was one of the crew who was "lost at sea" when the blimp crashed...55 years ago today.
Our father had made a bronze plaque memorial, similar to the plaque in the crew members memory at Lakehurst. with all the crewmembers names. It is located in Greenlawn Cemetery, Nahant...after flat field stones, first right at top of hill. 07/05/2015 @ 23:38 [ref: 69156] |
| Peter Oxford Cornwall, VT | The first picture is confusing to me. The shape of the envelope and the engine nacelles appear to be a ZPG-2, but there is no radome beneath the gondola as normally seen on a -2 or -2W. Could this be a transitional airship between the -2 and -3 types? I have a copy of this post card and always thought it odd.
The 12th picture appears to me to be The N-1 with it's smaller envelope and distinctive smaller black radome. Thanks for the Arizona pictures, very interesting and informative. 03/10/2013 @ 06:23 [ref: 67659] |
| Ron Borgerson Allendale, NJ | I was 4 years old when I was on the beach with my family at Asbury Park, NJ on July 6, 1960. Navy airships (we called them blimps) were a familiar sight in the sky at the Jersey shore in those days. I remember looking up to see a Navy blimp pointed nose down and well off shore. I asked my mother if the blimp was crashing into the ocean and she said no, it just looked like it was. I'll never forget the newspaper the next morning with the front-page story and photographs. I was so young, it almost didn't seem real to me, as if I dreamed the whole thing, and nobody spoke much about it after that morning. I always wondered, did I actually witness the disaster or was it the imagination of a 4-year-old boy? Today I am certain that I did actually witness the crash and sad to learn that 18 sailors died that day. I never heard about the cause of the crash. Is that public information or classified? Any information would be much appreciated. Thank you...RB 01/02/2013 @ 04:03 [ref: 67463] |
| Don Shoop,LCDR Ret Chambersburg, PA | Ever hear of a CPO being a plane captain? Seem like a demeaning task for a Chief? Well I was one. While at Lakehurst in ZW-1, I was assigned to one of the ZPG-3Ws as a "Crew Chief", not a usual assignment since there were only two or three of us in the entire Navy. I think that there were only 4 ZPG-3Ws built and one was lost at NAS South Weymouth in a ground handling hangar accident.
I was assigned to the one that was lost off the New Jersey coast. Crew Chiefs did not fly on every flight and fortunatly for me I was not aboard her that day as I requested the day off to go fishing with visiting relatives. Sadly, it was reported, that some of the men were found trapped beneath the fabric with their life vests inflated. A sad day 11/23/2012 @ 04:10 [ref: 67353] |
| Rick Garcia , TX | found the zpg-3w in the davis monthan bone yard. 06/06/2011 @ 02:48 [ref: 39192] |
| Larry Gallagher (ACCS-Ret) Tucson, AZ | I was part of the BIS-ZPG-3W crew as an airborne radar interceptor/operator. There were 4 Air traffic control man assigned to the crew, 2 Chief Petty Officers and 2 Second Class Petty officers. We were initially assigned to AT&D. We worked out of the Riggers Shop for lack of a better place to use us on the ground. We later transferred with the airships to ZW-1. Larry 02/17/2011 @ 09:47 [ref: 36062] |
| Bunky Wertman Allentown, PA | I did further reading of James R. Shock's book "U.S. Navy Airships 1915-1962" and I found the answer on page 192! This color postcard picture I posted here is not a ZPG-3W. But it's not really a ZPG-2W either! This is actually the one-of-a-kind airship serial number 141563 known as the ZPG-2W (M) 2 1/2 which was the test bed for the ZPG-3W. There was no radome on the underside of the gondola. Inside the envelope of this airship was an APS-70 radar antenna, a 40-foot long dipole unit. First flight for this airship was May 21, 1957 at Akron. Sadly the airship was deflated in a ground handling accident on January 9, 1959 at South Weymouth, Massachusetts. 02/11/2011 @ 20:14 [ref: 35981] |
| Bunky Wertman Allentown, PA | Could any of you US Navy blimp guys here verify if the color postcard I posted here is a ZPG-3W? Thanks!
It would be nice to see some of you at the "Blimp Crew Tavern" on Facebook to share your memories and old Navy Blimp photos from 1962 and earlier! http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=117325408284330 02/11/2011 @ 18:18 [ref: 35979] |
| Chuck Norman Deltona, FL | I was stationed at NAS Lakehurst with Airship Test and Development (AT&D), from Jan 1958-Feb 1960. As an AE2, I was a crew member on several N and ZP class airships. From Nov 1959-Feb 1960 we were tad to South Weymouth, MA for endurance testing of the ZPG-3W, SN 144243. On Feb 13, 1960 we had to cancel our flight due to inclement weather. While attempting to put the airship back into the hanger, with me driving the starborad docking mule, a sever crosswind of aproximately 50mph hit the ship broadside, from the portside, causing the port docking mule to overturn and being dragged toward the side of the hanger.
Attempting to keep the ship from striking the hanger, I immediately crossed over, at a 45 degree angle, to maintain tension on the cable while the mast crew began backing out. My partner, the tensioner, froze and did not release cable tension as the mast backed out resulting in our docking mule to begin to be tipped backwards. At this time, to prevent the docking mule from tipping over on us, I fired the cable cutter device. As soon as I fired the cable cutter, the wind blew the airship into the side of the hanger, cutting off the last 3 feet, causing immediate deflation of the bag. Thank God, no one was injured. I have pieces of the bag and nose-cone from ZPG-3W SN 144243 and now, thanks to your site, I have photos to show my grandchildren to corroborate my story. 01/20/2011 @ 13:25 [ref: 35825] |
| Ross Wood Sun City West, AZ | Hello Ken Shrock,
You and I were at Lakehurst at the same time. I was in ZW-1, as I have previously indicated on this website - which for what ever reason forbids the publishing of e-mail addresses. You definitely should consider joining the Naval Airship Assoc. - NAA - and receive the quarterly publication, The Noon Balloon. At $25/yr., it's a bargain. Please contact me at 208-622-5487, or e-mail me at rfwood@cox.net - hope they let this slip through. Best regards, Ross Wood 12/24/2010 @ 05:33 [ref: 34872] |
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