James R. Shock Airship Collection

The James R. Shock Airship Collection documents the progression of airships from the early experimental prototypes of the late nineteenth century to the surveillance blimps used by the United States government after September 11, 2001. Much of the collection centers around the United States Navy LTA program in World War II and the ships built by Goodyear for the Navy in the late 1920s, including the USS Akron and the USS Macon. Since Shock has written a book devoted entirely to Goodyear airships, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and both their wartime and commercial efforts constitute a large portion of the commercial series on airships.

Series I, Publications, Correspondence and Research (1934-2006), contains draft material and research for several of Mr. Shock’s books, along with personal correspondence to a number of people discussing airship issues. There is an extensive section containing the summary of Lighter-Than-Air (LTA) items in the collection, as well as a summary of magazine and newspaper articles in the collection relating to airships. Of particular note is Herman Van Dyk’s airship drawings and substantial number of folders containing photographs of military airships. Finally, this series contains a list of items that were donated to the Lighter-Than-Air Society and the Akron Airship Historical Society.

Series II, Airships, General (1916-2007), contains general information about airships, both in the United States and overseas. Of particular note, this series contains large sections of photographs, including detailed descriptions of each photograph, of United States airship hangars and bases, non-rigid airship support equipment, and mooring masts and towers for rigid airships. Includes in this series is Mr. Shock’s research on handing rigid airships on the ground, the development of mooring and handling devices for airships, and training material for personnel responsible for maintaining airship hangars, landing fields, and mooring devices. The series concludes with material on German hangars and bases, research of other American airship builders, besides the U.S. military and Goodyear Tire and Rubber, and contacts with the National Air and Space Museum and the National Archives.

Series III, Airships, Military (1908-2007), is divided into three subseries.

Subseries IIIA, American (1920-2005), contains extensive material on U. S. Army and U. S. Navy efforts to develop airships, along with support equipment and bases. The subseries begins with a large section containing photographs of US Army airships, along with photographs of US Army airship hangars and bases. The photographs are described as “Books” and include detailed descriptions of the photographs at the beginning of each book. Supporting the photographs is extensive research containing Army Air Corps Manuals, reports on different airship designs, and list of personnel, including airship pilots. The subseries concludes with extensive research and photographs concerning US Navy efforts to develop airships for use at sea. There are extensive lists of naval airship pilots, photographs of US Navy non-rigid airship hangars and bases, and research into the use of airships by the Navy.

Subseries IIIB, British, French, and Russian (1908-2007), contains primarily material concerning British efforts to develop airships and airship bases during WWI. The subseries contains extensive files on British airship bases, by location, during WWI. The subseries contains limited material on the efforts of the French and Russians to develop airships for use by their military.

Subseries IIIC, Manuals, Barrage Balloons, and Personnel (1918-2006), begins with photographs of barrage used during WWI and WWII. However, the strength of this subseries is the large number of technical manuals, training manuals, and regulations concerning the airship, observation balloons, and barrage balloons. The subseries also contains material on information the training of airship pilots and ground personnel, including the training records of some airship personnel.

Series IV, Airships, Commercial and Hot Air Balloons (1909-2006), is divided into two subseries. The first, Subseries IVA, Goodyear (1911-2006), contains drawings and photographs of airships built by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for military and commercial use. Included is information on types of airships developed by Goodyear, lists of Goodyear airships, and lists of Goodyear airship pilots. Subseries IVB, Other Commercial Airships (1909-2005), contains material concerning commercial airships and hot air balloons not built by Goodyear. Of particular note is information on Zeppelin airships, including the “Hindenburg.” Other topics include prototype or experimental airships and hot air balloons, metal clad airships, and various commercial airships developed by Canada, French, German and Italian companies.

Series V, Publications and Airship Societies (1918-2007), is divided into three subseries. Subseries VA, Books and Articles (1918-2006), contains a variety of material concerning airships. Included is a collection guide for the Vice Admiral Charles E. Rosendahl Collection at the University of Texas, books about the airship, and material on the building large airship factories, docks, and airships. Included in this series is a book by the Architectural Association, Housing the Airship. Subseries VB, Airship Societies and Associations (1952-2005), contains newsletters and correspondence from the New Zealand Airship Association, the Lighter-Than-Air Society, and the Naval Airship Association. Subseries VC, Calendars (1976-2007), contains airship calendars and appointment longs. Notable about this subseries are the airship photographs displayed in the calendars.