Airship Roma Disaster in Hampton Roads, The

by Nancy E. Sheppard

In March 1921, Major John G. Thornell and his crew were detailed to Italy to procure a new experimental airship for the United States Army Air Service. Stationed at Langley Field in Hampton, the ROMA never lived up to expectations despite being heralded as the future of military innovation. Tragically, it crashed and erupted in a ball of fire in 1922, claiming the lives of thirty-four of the brave men aboard. Author Nancy E. Sheppard reveals the forgotten, harrowing story of one of the last great airships and those who sacrificed for the promise of a new era in aviation.

275 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 25, 2016

About the author

Nancy E. Sheppard is a historian, nonfiction author, and lecturer from Yorktown, Virginia. She is the author of four books that discuss different aspects of the history of her native Tidewater, Virginia. She has been nominated three times for the Virginia Literary Award in the category of nonfiction. Ms. Sheppard has had the honor to lecture at a variety of locations, institutions, and before many prominent organizations.

Reviews

[Shrike58 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this booklet wound up being a major advance in my understanding of the destruction of the "Roma," which always seemed like an enigmatic event to me, I can't say that it was an unalloyed pleasure. Part of the problem is that Sheppard mostly wants to talk about the crew, and she was able to get enough input from their descendants that this is a good story; even if I think that the author goes a little too far in reconstructing conversations. However, the big plus is that I have never seen so many images of the "Roma," which greatly helped my imagination as to the scale of the vessel, and how she worked.

Apart from a bit of dramatic overreach, my main issue with this book might had been a question as to what was really going on here: Why was Col. Billy Mitchell so determined to acquire an airship that the Italian authorities already seemed to regard as a "white elephant." Turns out that Mitchell was looking at airships for long-range early warning, suggesting that there was an incipient inter-service airship race brewing. Further, considering how poorly the U.S. Army Air Service apparently maintained the "Roma" (its envelope apparently badly needed replacement from Day One of U.S. acquisition of the airship), one wonders if the accusations of incompetence that got Mitchell court-martialed encompassed both Army and Navy airships. At the very least it's food for thought.

[Linda Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had only heard of this 1922 disaster and had not been able to locate information on it until I found thus book. The author did a wonderful job in researching and documenting theRoma. Also, the pictures were fascinating. The writing flowed and thoroughly kept my interest.

[Tekken · Rating 5 out of 5]

BBC näitas hiljuti dokki kosmosesüstik Columbia katastroofist. Columbiaga oli see lugu, et ta oli juba vana (tegelikult kõige vanem kosmoses käinud süstik) ja õnnetusi oli temaga varemgi juhtunud. Iga kord lapiti viga saanud koht ära ja Columbia saadeti uuesti kosmosesse... kuni ta lõpuks laiali lagunes ja kogu meeskond surma sai. Üks NASA insener, kes süstiku programmis algusest peale osales, iseloomustas juhtunut kui lipp-lipi peal kultuuri – lennumasinat aina lapiti, kuigi ta poleks tohtinud enam startida.

Õhulaev Roma katastroofist (1922) lugesin ma esimest korda John Tolandi dirižaabliraamatust. Kui Hindenburgi katastroofi kirjeldamiseks kulus seal 30 lehekülge, siis Romale jagus üks ja sealgi pani kuulus autor nii mõnegi olulise detailiga mööda. Ja ennäe, Virginia koduloolane Nancy E. Sheppard on hoopis põhjalikuma ülevaate kirja pannud.

Roma katastroofi põhjal jääb mulje, et lipp-lipi peal kultuur oli juba 1922. a seisuga olemas. Ameeriklased ostsid Itaaliast korraliku õhulaeva, mis kohaletoimetamise käigus niiskust sai ja kohale jõudes valesti kokku pandi. Igal lennul läks midagi katki või pudenes küljest, kest lekkis nagu sõel ja kütusepaagid olid roostes. Üheainsa päeva jooksul tuli Roma kesta lappida 111 kohas. Ja siis kukkus ta alla.

Pahatihti kiputakse sedasorti lugudes lugejat tehniliste detailidega üle ujutama või voolitakse juhtunust „inimlik draama“, kus on kõik viltu, kui (hiigel)suuri tundeid mitte arvestada. Sheppardi raamat on nii tehniliste detailide kui draama koha pealt tasakaalus ja lisaks kirjeldatakse (üsna neutraalselt) tolleaegset poliitilist kliimat. Täiesti möödaminnes jutustab autor Roma pardal hukkunud seersant Virgil Hoffmanni kihlatu Stella loo, nii et inimlik mõõde on ka olemas.

Iga suure tragöödia juures leidub tihtipeale ka mingi koomiline element. Roma puhul oli see tema ristimistseremoonia, kui ristiema pidi esialgsete plaanide kohaselt kuumaõhupalliga startides šampanjapudeli vastu õhulaeva kiilu puruks lööma. Õnnetuseks oli sel päeval nii kõva tuul, et Roma jäi tseremooniale hiljaks, kuumaõhupalli starti peeti liiga ohtlikuks ja ristiema pidi kasutama redelit, hoides ühe käega pudelit ja teisega oma kleiti.

Kuidagi ei jõua ma ära imestada, miks nii vapustavast loost veel filmi tehtud pole. Mis seal oodata, andke mulle mõnikümmend miljonit ja ma teen selle ise valmis! Roma komandöri kapten Mabryt, kes viimase hetkeni rooliratta külge klammerdub, võiks mängida Nicholas Cage. Seersant Hoffmanni rolli, kes püüab viimase hetkeni teisi meeskonnaliikmeid päästa, sobiks üksnes Ryan Reynolds. Leitnant Rileyt, kes kukkuvast õhulaevast langevarjuga põgeneb, mängiks Adam Driver (talle sobivad sihukesed ambivalentsed osad). Elektrik Jonesiks, kes üritab mootorrattaga kihutades õnnetuskohal voolu välja lülitada, sobiks Vin Diesel. Ei unustaks ka kodumaiseid näitlejaid– kindral Mitchelli, kes usub, et tulevik kuulub õhulaevadele ja lennukid on mööduv moehullus, võiks mängida Raivo E. Tamm. Hoidke mind kinni, subtiitrid jooksevad mul juba silme ees!