The Airship That Can’t Land

“Here Comes The Navy“ was a 1934 American romantic adventure whose crew actually filmed the real USS Macon at her home port of Moffet Field. The film makers had sought to capitalize on the drama of the deadly bungled mooring that had transpired during the USS Akron’s first West Coast trip two years earlier. The accident had created the public perception that the helium airship was uncontrollably deadly. Without anyone asking why we could not have as much helium as we needed anywhere we needed it, the public was introduced to “the airship that can’t come down.” The writers created a version that had a happier ending, helium’s scarcity and cost was, and still is, a real challenge to operations.