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1932 USS Akron Dirigible Mooring Disaster Glass Plate Negative Bud Cowart Copy
Type: Photographic Glass Plate Negative (Period Copy Negative / Reproduction)
Subject: USS Akron (ZRS-4) Mooring Disaster / Aviation History / US Navy
Date of Event: May 11, 1932
Date of Production: Circa 1930s (Period press / darkroom copy)
Location: Camp Kearny, San Diego, California
Format: Glass Plate Negative
Includes: Original vintage press/studio job sleeve envelope with handwritten metadata
Item Description
Vintage 1932 USS Akron (ZRS-4) Mooring Disaster Glass Plate Copy Negative & Original Sleeve
An extraordinary, historic period copy glass plate negative documenting one of the most famous and harrowing aviation disasters of the interwar era: the May 11, 1932 accident involving the U.S. Navy rigid airship USS Akron (ZRS-4) at Camp Kearny near San Diego, California.
Historical Background
Attempting to moor during unpredictable atmospheric conditions, the massive dirigible suddenly surged upward. The three-man civilian mooring crew holding the toggle ropes was carried aloft. Two crewmen—Charles M. "Bud" Cowart and his companions—dangled hundreds of feet above the earth. As the airship rapidly ascended toward 2,000 feet, two of the line handlers lost their grip and fell to their deaths. Apprentice Seaman Charles M. "Bud" Cowart secured himself to the mooring line with a toggle and clung on for nearly two hours until he was successfully winched aboard through the airship's lower hatch.
This dramatic aerial photograph—shot from the airship or an escort craft Looking straight down over the field, runways, and parked spectator vehicles—shows the giant shadow of the Akron across the ground, with Cowart circled in white ink dangling on the tether high above the earth.
Details & Condition
Negative: Period gelatin dry plate copy negative made for news/press darkroom reproduction. The editorial white targeting circle highlighting Cowart on the line is embedded directly in the period image. The plate is intact with clean edges, sharp contrast, and no cracks or structural fractures.
Original Sleeve: Retains its authentic vintage Manila photo-service order envelope. The face features period handwritten cursive notes:
"SS Akron / 'Bud' Cowart hanging from ropes 2000 ft in the air — his 2 buddies got weak + fell to earth — were killed / May 1932 / San Diego, Calif"
Also annotated in block print at the bottom: "Blimp Accident / Men forced to dangle by rope."
A compelling, museum-grade artifact of early naval aviation history, lighter-than-air flight, and classic American press photojournalism.
The glass plate negative measures 4 x 5In.
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