Zachary Lansdowne
Lieutenant Commander Zachary Lansdowne (born December 1, 1888 in Greenville , Ohio , † September 3, 1925 in Ava , Ohio) was an officer in the United States Navy and one of the first naval aviators . He contributed to the development of Navy airship travel.
biography
Lansdowne was drafted into the United States Naval Academy on September 2, 1905 and made an ensign on June 5, 1911 . He then served on the destroyer USS McCall (DD-28) and in the Naval Militia Ohio. After completing his flight training, he became a naval aviator. Lansdowne was assigned to the Royal Naval Air Service during and after World War I to study airships.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross as a crew member of the British airship R-34 , which made the first successful non-stop flight from England to the United States in July 1919. He married Margaret Ross Kennedy (born September 30, 1902 - June 9, 1982) on December 7, 1921 in Washington. She later married John Caswell Jr. on February 27, 1927.
On February 11, 1924, Lansdowne took command of the rigid airship USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) . When the USS Shenandoah crashed on September 3, 1925, Zachary Lansdowne was killed. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
The Shenandoah crash sparked Army Colonel Billy Mitchell's criticism of the Army and Navy leadership, which led directly to his court martial for insubordination and the end of his military career.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lansdowne, Zachary |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Naval aviator, captain of the airship ZR-1 |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 1, 1888 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Greenville , Ohio |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 3, 1925 |
| Place of death | Ava , Ohio |