''Roma'' was an Italian-built
semi-rigid airship
A semi-rigid airship is an airship which has a stiff keel or truss supporting the main envelope along its length. The keel may be partially flexible or articulated and may be located inside or outside the main envelope. The outer shape of the ai ...
, designated by its constructor as the Model T-34. Purchased by the United States from the Italian government in 1921, ''Roma'' was operated by the
United States Army Air Service
The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...
from November 1921 to February 21, 1922, when it crashed in
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 cen ...
, killing 34 people aboard, with 9 survivors. As a result of this accident, ''Roma'' was the last
hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic ...
inflated airship flown by the US military; all subsequent airships were inflated with
helium
Helium (from el, ἥλιος, helios, lit=sun) is a chemical element with the symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. ...
.
Design and development

The ''Roma'' was designed by Celestino Usuelli, the engineers Eugenio Prassone,
Umberto Nobile
Umberto Nobile (; 21 January 1885 – 30 July 1978) was an Italian aviator, aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer.
Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships in the years between the two World Wars. He is primarily remembe ...
and Colonel
Gaetano Crocco
Gaetano Arturo Crocco (26 October 1877 – 19 January 1968) was an Italian scientist and aeronautics pioneer, the founder of the Italian Rocket Society, and went on to become Italy's leading space scientist. He was born in Naples.
In 1927, Croc ...
.
Designated and advertised as the Model T-34, it was the first project of the ''Stabilimento Costruzioni Aeronautiche'' ("Aeronautical Construction Factory"), for the partnership of Nobile, Usuelli, Croce and Giuseppe Valle.
[ The T-34 was designed for trans-Atlantic crossings carrying up to 100 passengers, though initially fitted for 25.][ When constructed, ''Roma'' was the largest semi-rigid ]airship
An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air.
In early ...
in the world.[
]
As a semi-rigid design it was built about a rigid keel - though the keel was partially articulated to allow some flexibility. The passenger spaces and control cabin were within the keel. The engines, 400 hp Ansaldo 4E-2940 V-12s, were mounted outside, angled such that the slipstreams would not interfere with each other.[
]
Service
In September 1920, ''Roma'' made its first trial flight.
The airship was purchased by the United States Army Air Service
The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...
for $184,000 (equivalent to $ million in ).[ During the inspection and delivery ceremonies in March 1921, the Italians treated the new owners with a flight on the ''Roma'', from Rome to Naples and back, carrying the US Ambassador, his wife and several Army officers. The passengers were served lunch while flying over the island of ]Capri
Capri ( , ; ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town of Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has bee ...
.
The Army originally planned to fly the ''Roma'' to the United States, but instead the dirigible was dismantled, packed in several crates and transported by ship, arriving in the US in August, 1921. When the Army unpacked the crates after their arrival at Langley Field Langley may refer to:
People
* Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name
* Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer
* Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfor ...
, they found the airship's fabric skin mildewed and weakened. After being reassembled by US Army Air Service crews at Langley, ''Roma'' flew in America for the first time on November 15, 1921, with minor problems. On a subsequent flight, a propeller disintegrated, ripped open the envelope and slashed a gas bag; the airship managed to return safely.[''Flight'' 29 December 1921 p.862]
During a flight to Washington, D.C. on December 21, 1921, the ''Roma'' experienced several engine breakdowns due to the cold weather. After the return flight to Langley was made on only four engines, the original Italian Ansaldo engines were replaced with six Liberty L-12
The Liberty L-12 is an American water-cooled 45° V-12 aircraft engine displacing and making designed for a high power-to-weight ratio and ease of mass production. It saw wide use in aero applications, and, once marinized, in marine use both ...
's.
Crash
The ''Roma'' crashed in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 cen ...
during a test flight on February 21, 1922. The airship left Langley Field shortly before 1:00 PM in the afternoon, with 45 people on board, most of whom were US Army airmen. There were also a few civilians, including mechanics and government observers. aboard for the test flight. After lifting off, the pilot, Captain Dale Mabry, set a course along the shore of Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...
that took it over Buckroe Beach, and Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virgi ...
, before crossing Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...
and passing over Willoughby Spit en-route to the Norfolk Navy Base
Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Hamp ...
.[ The crash of the ''Roma'' was caused by failure of the airship's box rudder system, which allowed it to maneuver over tight areas. Witnesses reported seeing the entire box rudder slip sideways, and the then-uncontrollable airship flew straight into the ground at the Army's Norfolk Quartermaster Depot (now the location of Norfolk International Terminals) from an altitude of . Just before the bow struck the ground, the ''Roma'' contacted high-voltage power lines and burst into flames. A total of 34 people were killed, 8 were injured, and 3 escaped unharmed. Among the dead was the pilot, Mabry. The crash of the ''Roma'' marked the greatest disaster in American aeronautics history up to that time.
]
Master Sergeant Harry A. Chapman earned the Cheney Award for his heroics during the crash. He was the first recipient of the award, which was presented by President Calvin Coolidge in 1928.
Although it was America's worst aviation disaster at the time, a century later the crash of the ''Roma'' has largely been forgotten, eclipsed by the ''Hindenburg'' disaster, which occurred 15 years later and effectively ended the airship era. At Langley Air Force base, the spot where the massive hanger that housed the ''Roma'' once stood is now a parking lot; it is still known as the "LTA" ("lighter than air") area, and the base's Roma Road is named in memory of the ill-fated airship.[
]
Specifications
References
;Bibliography
*
* ''Tampa Times
The ''Tampa Times'', or ''Tampa Daily Times'', was a daily newspaper founded in Tampa, Florida, in 1893. It was started by the consolidation of two newspapers by the Tampa Publishing Company, whose vice president was W. B. Henderson, a leading ...
'', February 22, 1922. Page 1.
*
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in the 1920s, year=1922
Airships of Italy
Airships of the United States
1920s Italian military trainer aircraft
Accidents and incidents involving balloons and airships
Aviation accidents and incidents in 1922
Aviation accidents and incidents in Virginia