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    You are at:Home»August»August 16»August 16, 1942: Aviation Mystery: Blimp Crew Disappears During Flight!
    August 16

    August 16, 1942: Aviation Mystery: Blimp Crew Disappears During Flight!

    Major DanBy Major DanAugust 16, 2016Updated:May 9, 202069 Comments3 Mins Read
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    A Brief History

    On August 16, 1942, while on routine anti-submarine patrol, the 2 man crew of US Navy Blimp L-8 disappeared without a trace.  The unmanned blimp drifted about aimlessly until crash landing in Daly City, California.  No trace of the crew or reason for their disappearance has ever been found.

    Digging Deeper

    (Note: An unrelated disaster, the 1964 Republican National Convention was held in the modern city limits of Daly City, although History usually refers to the convention as being held in San Francisco.  Barry Goldwater was nominated for President, and went on to lose by a record margin to Lyndon B. Johnson.)

    A “Blimp” is a non-rigid airship, meaning it is basically a coated cloth bag or envelope filled with a lighter than air gas, usually Helium.  The US Navy has used blimps for anti-submarine duty because they can stay in the air for an extended period and fly slow enough to accurately observe and target enemy submarines.  First used during World War I, they made a reappearance during World War II for their simplicity and economy.  In recent years, the blimp has been resurrected by the US Navy once again.  Blimps are also valuable for reconnaissance, search and rescue, and flying laboratories.

    The L-8 was part of a  class of 22 blimps, and was 147.5 feet long with a diameter of 39 feet 10 inches.  Capable of over 60 mph, it could easily out run a submarine, and could cruise at 46 mph for over 11 hours.  It was powered by 2 X 145 horsepower radial engines.  It was armed with 2 X 350 pound bombs for use against enemy subs, and L-8 had been used to ferry supplies to the USS Hornet for use during the famous Doolittle Raid.  Of course the blimp was equipped with a radio, and the last transmission was that the crew was observing an oil slick on the water and was investigating.  Incident investigators found the radio, engines and guns present and in working condition.  Code books were also present, along with other normal equipment, and plenty of gas (fuel) was left.  What they did not find was the crew or what happened to the crew.

    Question for students (and subscribers): What do you think happened?  Was there a stowaway aboard that murdered the crew and tossed them in the ocean?  Were aliens involved?  Supernatural causes?  Did one or both crewmen go bonkers and commit suicide or murder suicide?  Let us know what you think in the comments section below this article.  We sure do not know!

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Althoff, William F.  Sky Ships: A History of the Airship in the United States Navy, 25th Anniversary Edition.  Naval Institute Press, 2016.

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    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

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    <span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="12836 https://www.historyandheadlines.com/?p=12836">69 Comments

    1. ryan C on March 7, 2016 2:28 pm

      That’s weird that they have absolutely no trace of the blimp.

      Reply
    2. MB on March 22, 2016 9:56 am

      I also think it’s crazy how the blimps just disappeared.

      Reply
    3. Danielle on April 1, 2016 8:25 pm

      I love mysteries. It’s crazy that the crew disappeared and no one knows what happened. I would guess stowaways on the blimp perhaps.

      Reply
    4. Amber Moore on April 4, 2016 2:43 pm

      So they found the blimp itself and all the equipment but no men? Maybe the investigation of the oil on the water didn’t go well, so the other man aboard went to help and then the blimp drifted off. They were just lost in the ocean through no intention of their own.

      Reply
    5. Meghan R on April 5, 2016 3:53 pm

      I didn’t know blimps were used to target enemy ships during both World Wars.

      Reply
    6. SW on April 6, 2016 4:27 pm

      after so long we have no idea what happened to these men I imagine by now there are a lot of good conspiracy theories though!

      Reply
    7. Emmaline K on April 11, 2016 9:43 am

      I had no idea that blimps were used for navy activity. I honestly never really pondered what blimps were, and could be, used for. Given their slow speed, I had automatically assumed that they would be an easy target for enemies.

      Reply
    8. Sarah G on April 11, 2016 8:24 pm

      I did not know that blimps were used in the war. This event is very interesting, its crazy that there was no crew found.

      Reply
    9. kk on April 19, 2016 8:42 pm

      Seems like a blimp was a big step in the war. Weird how the crew just disappeared though and nothing was ever found.

      Reply
    10. Diana N on April 24, 2016 9:39 pm

      I did not know blimps were used for war purposes. I also have never heard of this missing crew story before.

      Reply
    11. Raquel F on April 26, 2016 10:31 am

      I find it crazy that they investigators found the radio, engines and guns in working condition, code books, other normal equipment, and plenty of gas was left, but did not find the crew.

      Reply
    12. Brett Nagy on April 26, 2016 11:44 pm

      I never knew blimps were used in the war, that is interesting. Seems like some kind of conspiracy must be behind the missing crew.

      Reply
    13. BV on May 1, 2016 7:09 pm

      It’s interesting to find out that blimps were used in war. It’s kinda confusing on how the crew disappeared and no one knew about it.

      Reply
    14. Austin Miko on May 3, 2016 12:43 pm

      It was very interesting to find out that blimps were used for war purposes i had no idea of that before reading this.

      Reply
    15. Sabrina Peelman on May 4, 2016 5:09 pm

      But seriously were did the crew go?

      Reply
    16. Kamarin R on May 6, 2016 11:37 am

      Pretty freaky how the whole crew just disappeared without a trace.

      Reply
    17. Andy frick on May 8, 2016 3:17 pm

      It almost seems as though the crew was escaping for some reason. Bizarre

      Reply
    18. Melody Ortiz on May 9, 2016 12:42 pm

      so scary, how can they just disappear without a trace. it really makes you think how that could possiby happen

      Reply
    19. Dakota A rinier on May 10, 2016 6:32 am

      Its crazy to think about what about ameilia earhart

      Reply
    20. DW on May 11, 2016 4:31 am

      For sure aliens.

      Reply
    21. Matt Smail on May 11, 2016 9:08 am

      how does a blimp disappear…. assuming aliens is logical of course..

      Reply
    22. Isaac Talley on May 11, 2016 1:06 pm

      I am not sure what happen but it is possible that they were lost at sea like other people. It is not like it never happen before for a large ship to become missing.

      Reply
    23. HCB63 on August 17, 2016 4:47 pm

      Considering the crew spotted an oil slick, it is a plausible idea that during their investigation an actual enemy sub surfaced and, knowing the crew would radio their sighting, and not wanting a huge fireball to be seen, the sub had a sharpshooter kill both men, who then fell into the sea, leaving the blimp without any crew.
      Just a thought.

      Reply
    24. AM on October 6, 2016 1:03 pm

      How does a large blimp just disappear?

      Reply
    25. MM on October 26, 2016 10:57 pm

      For how huge these blimps are, i’m truly amazed one could just “go missing?” I would have to say this is a similar situation to that of the Malaysian airlines flight where it was lost at sea.

      Reply
    26. MT on November 12, 2016 12:50 pm

      I am not really sure how a huge blimp could go missing.

      Reply
    27. Diana Minich on November 19, 2016 11:09 pm

      Did other people even read the article. The blimp didn’t disappear. The crew disappeared. Where the crew went, I’m not sure. I have a feeling there had to be a stow away.

      Reply
    28. Taylor Young on November 21, 2016 12:24 pm

      How a huge blimp could simply go missing is very interesting. I feel like that is very similar to today and how there have been a couple missing planes. I wonder if any debris was found from the blimp?

      Reply
    29. Kala Strong on November 21, 2016 9:04 pm

      It is hard to believe that something as big as a blimp could go missing that easily.

      Reply
    30. Lydia Ott on November 22, 2016 1:54 pm

      I was not aware that Blimps were used in the Navy to target enemy submarines because the Blimp was able to stay in the air for an extended period of time and because it was slow moving. I would think it would be easy for an enemy to spot and shoot down.

      Reply
    31. Lessie Parish on November 22, 2016 4:51 pm

      It is hard telling what happened to the crew. Planes and people go missing all of the time. I think it is a possibility that they were killed but I am not sure of the purpose for it. I also did not know that the navy used blimps for this purpose.

      Reply
    32. Jordin Vidmar on November 22, 2016 8:00 pm

      I actually knew about the use of blimps in WWII. These blimps were huge targets too.

      Reply
    33. Brandon Wagner on November 25, 2016 3:26 pm

      I think the disappearance of the crew definitely had something to do with enemy sabotage. I do not know if that means a enemy stowaway, but I do not think it was a result of suicide.

      Reply
    34. Ben McClay on November 25, 2016 6:16 pm

      I always knew the “blimp,” as the good year blimp, rather than blimps that were used in aircraft. Overall, I believe that these blimps used in aircraft are very important for the well-being of this country.

      Reply
    35. Audrey Manahan on November 25, 2016 9:54 pm

      I never really knew what the blimps were used for other than modern day advertisements. Learning more about how blimps were used as transportation helped me to understand why they were used during war.

      Reply
    36. Elizabeth Bon on November 26, 2016 10:48 am

      This was interesting. I really had no idea they used blimps for this reason. That is a mystery about the crew, I do think they must have ended up in the ocean.

      Reply
    37. Rose Jepson on November 26, 2016 12:27 pm

      The fact that all of the materials and supplies were found, but not the crew, makes me think there was some kind of stowaway involved that covered a murdering perhaps. I’m surprised there isn’t some kind of movie about this historical event.

      Reply
    38. Dakota Zimmerman on November 26, 2016 3:32 pm

      I think that there was some strange reason why the crew had to evacuate such a ship. Maybe they floated to high and the air was too thin

      Reply
    39. Alyssa Hanes on November 26, 2016 3:41 pm

      This article is very creepy and the fact that they still are not sure exactly what happen makes it even creepier. I think that it is scary that maybe even aliens or a supernatural entity was involved. There has to be some secret behind all of this!

      Reply
    40. Lori Caudill on November 26, 2016 3:51 pm

      The stow away theory seems likely since the parachutes and life raft were untouched.

      Reply
    41. Jingshan Jiang on November 26, 2016 5:12 pm

      The historical story looks as similar as the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle. The truth disappeared in the history and no one can know the truth any more.

      Reply
    42. Shuling He on November 26, 2016 5:22 pm

      History is always mysteries. some of the stories we never know the truth.

      Reply
    43. Shannon Read on November 26, 2016 6:43 pm

      I have always found theories at times to be interesting because they are about things that people will never truly know the truth about. Interesting article.

      Reply
    44. Breanna Beckley on November 26, 2016 8:00 pm

      I did not know that they used blimps for this. I found that very interesting.

      Reply
    45. Daina Thomas on November 26, 2016 11:20 pm

      It’s surprising to learn how so many things were originally used for wars like blimps.

      Reply
    46. Nicholas Hillyer on November 27, 2016 10:32 pm

      That’s really smart if you think hunting submarines with blimps instead of ships a sub has no defense back then when submerged against a blimp just hope a plane didn’t come I suppose.

      Reply
    47. Natalie antonio on November 29, 2016 10:40 am

      I think that it was smart to hunt for submarines with blimps rather than other ships or subs because they have the better view of how things are laid out and can send the attack with more force than with a ship or other sub.

      Reply
    48. AA on November 29, 2016 7:15 pm

      I heard of blimps being used for as flying laboratories, but never for reconnaissance and defense against submarines. As for what happened to the crew aboard the blimp, I have no idea.

      Reply
    49. Maxwell McCullough on November 30, 2016 10:15 am

      Were they anywhere near the Bermuda triangle… Because if so that would seal the deal on my conspiracies.

      Reply
    50. Montel Lollis on December 1, 2016 12:34 pm

      THAT’S WEIRD BUT IT COULD BE THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE I THINK THAT’S WHERE MOST PEOPLE GO LIKE AMY , sorry for all the caps but its surprising another case similar to all the other people flying and gone with no trace.

      Reply
    51. Courtney G on December 4, 2016 9:33 pm

      The comments about the Bermuda Triangle are funny. But who knows if it actually exists or not and if this could be a possibility.

      Reply
    52. Suzie M. Shaffer on December 4, 2016 9:39 pm

      I feel like it would be dangerous since they fly so slowly! Couldn’t they be shot out of the sky?

      Reply
    53. Kristin Fellure on December 6, 2016 11:22 pm

      It is so odd that so many people randomly go missing in the world. It would be nice to discover where they went.

      Reply
    54. LF on December 7, 2016 12:47 pm

      I believe there is a reasonable explanation, maybe the blimp was forced down and the crew was captured,but i do not believe “aliens” had anything to do with it.

      Reply
    55. ES on December 7, 2016 5:56 pm

      They really shouldn’t have flown so carelessly. A lot of people could have been hurt.

      Reply
    56. Keagan Frey on December 8, 2016 10:55 pm

      Today a blimp seems outrages to use in a time of war.

      Reply
    57. Travis Tarnowski on December 9, 2016 8:40 pm

      That is crazy that there was no reason for their disappearance, and that no one had any knowledge of where they were at the whole time.

      Reply
    58. Hunter Music on December 10, 2016 3:46 am

      I am not sure what could have happened to the crew. If there was a stow away, where did he go and why did he not steal anything?

      Reply
    59. Kayla Fox on December 10, 2016 5:00 am

      I would not think to use a blimp in war, interesting! Doesn’t look like it suited them well..

      Reply
    60. Alexis Dykes on December 11, 2016 2:56 am

      Considering the questions posed at the end of the article and wondering, “Is it possible that someone was hidden aboard and killed them, and then tossed them into the ocean?” What a freaky thing. I wouldn’t think about using blimps as the aircraft of choice during a war. They don’t move very fast and they certainly aren’t discrete.

      Reply
    61. Jared A. Hutt on February 4, 2017 6:25 pm

      Mysteries like this are just creepy. No rhyme or reason, just gone. The worst part is that no one will ever know what really happened.

      Reply
    62. Chelsey Stillings on February 5, 2017 10:23 pm

      This makes my stomach hurt. Very strange how things happen.

      Reply
    63. Kay McCargish on February 6, 2017 12:41 pm

      Maybe if they were investigating an oil slick there was a boat nearby and they were abducted?

      Reply
    64. Dan Sumpter on February 6, 2017 9:13 pm

      I think that the blimp was probably unmanned and since it is lighter than air, it launched by itself.

      Reply
    65. Mackenzie H on February 17, 2017 9:37 pm

      Wish I new the whole story. Instead all we know is that 2 people went missing and the blimp disappeared without a trace.

      Reply
    66. Michael Tovissi on April 7, 2017 12:25 am

      If only we knew all of the details to this story. We may never know what happened to those two men.

      Reply
    67. Payton Brown on April 18, 2017 5:34 pm

      This is creepy. The men just disappeared without a trace.

      Reply
    68. Amanda Miller on April 26, 2017 9:21 pm

      I didn’t know the military used blimps in WWI and WWII that’s interesting.

      Reply
    69. MIA on April 28, 2017 9:13 am

      I wish we knew the rest of the story about what happened with them… it’s crazy that people can be gone without a trace.

      Reply

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