Shenandoah Propeller, Fixed-Pitch, Two-Blade, Wood

Type: Two-Blade, Fixed-Pitch, Wood

Diameter: 533.4 cm (210 in.)

Chord: Unknown

Engine Application: Packard gasoline engines

This is the right hand propeller for the ZR-1 dirigible, the first American built rigid airship. Construction took place during 1922 and 1923; parts were fabricated at the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia, and the ship was assembled at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. ZR-1 made a series of test and demonstration flights in September and early October, 1923. On October 10, 1923, the ship was christened USS Shenandoah and officially accepted as a commissioned vessel of the United States Navy.

On September 3, 1925, on its 57th flight, Shenandoah was caught in a storm over Ohio. Twisted by the storm, the ship suffered catastrophic structural failure, breaking in two. The aft section sank rapidly, breaking up further, with two of the engine cars breaking away and falling to the ground. In all, fourteen members of the crew of forty one and two passengers were killed in the crash.