Lieutenant Commander Zachary Lansdowne, USN (December 1, 1888 – September 3, 1925) was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

officer and early

Naval aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

who contributed to the development of the Navy's first lighter-than-air craft. He earned the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

for his participation in the first transoceanic airship flight while assigned to the British ''R34'' in 1919. He later commanded the USS ''Shenandoah'' (ZR-1), which was the first rigid airship to complete a flight across North America. He was killed in the crash of the ''Shenandoah''.

Biography

Born in

Greenville, Ohio Greenville is a city in and the county seat of Darke County, Ohio, United States, located near the western edge of Ohio about 33 miles northwest of Dayton. The population was 13,227 at the 2010 census. History Historic Native American tribes in ...

, Lansdowne was appointed to the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

September 2, 1905 and commissioned

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

June 5, 1911. He subsequently served on the destroyer , and in the

Ohio Naval Militia The Ohio Naval Militia (Ohio Navy) is the naval militia of the State of Ohio. It is the naval arm of the State of Ohio's Adjutant General's Department, and is part of Ohio's military forces. Their operational headquarters are on the Camp Perry Joi ...

. After completing his aviation training, he became Naval Aviator 105. Lansdowne was assigned to duty with the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

during and after World War I, to study dirigibles. He was awarded the

"for distinguished service...as one of the crew of the British airship R-34, which in July 1919, made the first successful nonstop passage from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

." He married Margaret "Betsy" Kennedy Ross (September 30, 1902 – June 9, 1982) on December 7, 1921, in Washington D.C. They had two children. She remarried after Lansdowne's death. On February 11, 1924, Lansdowne took command of the rigid lighter-than-air ship, , and was killed when she crashed at

Ava, Ohio Ava is an unincorporated community in northwestern Noble Township, Noble County, Ohio, United States. It has a post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and pa ...

, September 3, 1925. He was buried later that month in section four at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. The crash of the ''Shenandoah'' was the trigger for

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, command ...

to heavily criticize the leadership of both the Army and the Navy, leading directly to his

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

for insubordination and the end of his military career. Lansdowne was played by

Jack Lord John Joseph Patrick Ryan (December 30, 1920 – January 21, 1998), best known by his stage name, Jack Lord, was an American television, film and Broadway actor, director and producer. He starred as Steve McGarrett in the CBS television progra ...

in the 1955 film ''

The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell ''The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell'' is a 1955 American CinemaScope war film directed by Otto Preminger, and starring Gary Cooper and co-starring Charles Bickford, Ralph Bellamy, Rod Steiger, and Elizabeth Montgomery in her film debut. The fil ...

''. Lansdowne's house in Greenville still stands; it is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Namesake

The , a ''Gleaves''-class

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

, and

Lansdowne Airport Lansdowne Airport is a small, local airport on the East Side of Youngstown, Ohio, US near the Pennsylvania state line. Lansdowne Airport is a privately owned airport, located in an area known as the "Sharon Line" to locals, due to its proximit ...

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

were named in Lansdowne's honor. A street in

Carle Place, New York Carle Place (also known historically as Frog Hollow and Mineola Park) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The CDP's population was 4,981 at the ...

was also named in his honor.

References

External links

history.navy.mil: USS ''Lansdowne''Appendix I. "The History of Naval Aviator and Naval Aviation Pilot Designations and Numbers, The Training of Naval Aviators and the Number Trained (Designated)."
Grossnick, Roy et al. ''History of United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995''. Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, 1997, p. 404. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lansdowne, Zachary 1888 births 1925 deaths Accidental deaths in Ohio Airship aviators Airships of the United States Navy Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Burials at Arlington National Cemetery People from Greenville, Ohio Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Naval Aviators United States Navy officers Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1925 Military personnel from Ohio Aviators from Ohio

Biography

Namesake

See also

References

Further reading

External links