1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 1: back to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you so much 3 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:37,880 Speaker 1: for tuning into today's episode of gost Blam Coast to Coast. 4 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:41,319 Speaker 1: Coast to Coast. We're changing the show. It's just all 5 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 1: go s blimp content all night. We're also it's also 6 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 1: a night show. This this episode is going until dawn. 7 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:50,479 Speaker 1: I'm cool with that as long as we're done in 8 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:52,839 Speaker 1: time for my haircut at six thirty. You get your 9 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: hair cut at six thirty in the morning that we 10 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 1: are set my friend and I admire your industrious nous. 11 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: Uh no, no, no, it'said. We're not gonna go all 12 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 1: night and this with this is just this is weird. 13 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:05,920 Speaker 1: I really like the phrase ghost blimp. But this is 14 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,399 Speaker 1: honestly a little bit of a mystery, isn't it. It 15 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: is indeed a mystery, a history mystery, as we like 16 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 1: to say, because it rhymes and it's a thing people 17 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: say in the history podcast space. Um. But yeah, ghost blimp, 18 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 1: it's about what it sounds like. You know, we think 19 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:27,160 Speaker 1: of ghost ships, uh, not an invisible, ghostly apparition of 20 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 1: a ship. It's a ship that's found adrift with nobody 21 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: aboard uh. And that is exactly the case with today's story, 22 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:37,959 Speaker 1: the Enduring Mystery of the L eight Ghost Blimp. On 23 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 1: August six, nineteen forty two, a very unusual thing happened 24 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: in California. In Daily City, California, a suburb near San Francisco, 25 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 1: around eleven thirty in the morning, UM, a blimp was 26 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: cited kind of descending from the sky and heading for 27 00:01:56,560 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: the streets, uh for Bellevue Avenue in particular. It was 28 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 1: reported that it was sagging in the middle and was 29 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: described by a fireman UH for the San Francisco Chronicle 30 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:11,919 Speaker 1: as it looking like a quote big broken wiener um 31 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: imagining they mean like a sausage. But you know you 32 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: can do with that image what you will. Yeah, yeah Uh. 33 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: He gave that account in nine, several decades after the event, 34 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: so he had been thinking about this this shape a lot, 35 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:28,920 Speaker 1: and for better or worse, he described it as a 36 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:31,680 Speaker 1: broken weener. We also don't know how many broken wieners 37 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:34,919 Speaker 1: the guy had seen his life. I think we'll will 38 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:38,920 Speaker 1: fast this week, but with the help of our super producer, 39 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 1: Casey Pegram, we're going to explore what exactly happened here 40 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: so this errant ghost blimp kind of drifts on top 41 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:55,119 Speaker 1: of rooftop for a second, but then the wind pushes it. 42 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 1: It drifts further away. It gets tangled up in some 43 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: power lines. It goes through the wires, it sends you know, 44 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 1: arcs of electricity shoot through the air, and then it 45 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:08,679 Speaker 1: comes to rest on the ground. The engine smash into 46 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:13,080 Speaker 1: the pavement. There's gasoline pouring into the street. This is 47 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 1: not a Hindenburg situation, a little lower on the disaster scale, 48 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:20,520 Speaker 1: but still not a pretty picture, right. And again, of course, 49 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: given the time frame, people would be aware of the 50 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 1: Hindenburg and they would be aware of the danger of 51 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:30,680 Speaker 1: this stuff catching flame. So there's chaos. People are running 52 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 1: to check out this scene because rubber neckers are an 53 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 1: historical uh ubiquity, and police and fire crews came there 54 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 1: and they were holding folks back, and they were running 55 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 1: into what's called the gondola of the blimp, and the 56 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 1: gondolas where they carry all the you know, the pilots 57 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: and the passengers, and they wanted to rescue the crew, 58 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 1: but there was no one there. I feel like we 59 00:03:54,880 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: need a spooky theorem and kind of thing. I'd love 60 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: an x files vibe like an X files vibe as 61 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 1: close as we can get to not getting sued. This 62 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 1: is actually the kind of topic we probably I'm surprised 63 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 1: we haven't come across on stuff they don't want you 64 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: to know, because this really is has been red meat 65 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:23,360 Speaker 1: for conspiracy theorists as to what happened to the crew 66 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 1: of the L eight Ghost blimp. Yes, almost a locked 67 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: room kind of mysteries, So casey if you want to 68 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:37,800 Speaker 1: keep that creepy music going. Uh. The parachutes were all 69 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:41,719 Speaker 1: in their normal spots. A messed with the cap of 70 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:44,360 Speaker 1: one of the pilots was still on the instrument panel. 71 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 1: The blimp was in perfect order, everything including the radio. 72 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: There was still a bomb attached to the blimp, and 73 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,599 Speaker 1: naval officials will later tell everyone there was never any 74 00:04:56,680 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 1: danger because it would only detonate in water. There was 75 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: also a suitcase full of intel or full of you know, 76 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: I guess, uh, classified type papers that was locked away 77 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:15,479 Speaker 1: in a safe Uh. Photographer nearby gets a photo of 78 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:18,760 Speaker 1: the crash and the blimp doesn't look like it's a 79 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: great condition. It's gas bag is deflated. That is the 80 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:29,279 Speaker 1: correct term, gas bag. It's it's deflated it's falling apart, 81 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:33,040 Speaker 1: and newspapers across the country and then later the world 82 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:36,720 Speaker 1: grabbed this photograph and you see all these stories coming 83 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:43,200 Speaker 1: out about the mystery surrounding this blimp crash. People search 84 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:46,280 Speaker 1: for this missing crew. They search on the land, they 85 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:49,200 Speaker 1: searched by air, they searched the sea, and they are 86 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:55,159 Speaker 1: completely clueless. Hashtag no Alicia Silverstone. But they're wondering where 87 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: was the missing crew? What happened? First off? Why why 88 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:04,000 Speaker 1: is there a limp with a weapon crashing over this 89 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:06,720 Speaker 1: suburb of San Francisco in the beginning? What drove us 90 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:08,920 Speaker 1: the blimps? Yeah, it's funny. We just did an episode 91 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 1: about futurism, and honestly, airships are kind of a futurists 92 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:16,160 Speaker 1: the kind of thing in my opinion at least, and 93 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:18,040 Speaker 1: a lot of like things like Sky Captain in the 94 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:21,159 Speaker 1: World of Tomorrow, right, or a lot of these kind 95 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: of neo futurists, sci fi dystopian kind of situations. You'll 96 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:29,359 Speaker 1: see airships featured very prominently a lot of anime. For example, 97 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,359 Speaker 1: You'll you'll have airships as sort of like a you know, 98 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:37,279 Speaker 1: thing that endures as a means of transportation and as 99 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: a means of deploying weaponry. Um, so let's start from 100 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,359 Speaker 1: the beginning, back when Pearl Harbor was attacked, which is 101 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 1: like a big freaking deal to say the least, that 102 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 1: triggered the war with Japan. It was an issue that 103 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:56,359 Speaker 1: the Navy was facing that they needed the ability to 104 00:06:56,440 --> 00:07:01,479 Speaker 1: patrol more effectively the West coast um and there was 105 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:06,719 Speaker 1: a lot of threat from Japanese submarine attacks. So they 106 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:11,239 Speaker 1: kind of started looking, uh for another means of doing 107 00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:15,440 Speaker 1: these patrols outside of you know, ships and warships and 108 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 1: even their own submarines, because Japanese submarines were very effective, 109 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 1: and they decided to look back in time to a 110 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:27,960 Speaker 1: bygone era where blimps and zeppelins and airships were much 111 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: more of a common thing. Yeah, it's true. Only nine 112 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 1: months after the US entered World War two, these Japanese 113 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:40,160 Speaker 1: subs had already sank at least six Allied vessels off 114 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 1: the West coast. They even shelled oil drilling facilities. I mean, 115 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: they were nothing to mess with, and they need the 116 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 1: US Uncle SAM needed monitoring capability. So they got these 117 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:56,200 Speaker 1: blimps fancy name for airships. Why do we like them? 118 00:07:56,240 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: Because they're capable of hovering in place, they could lower 119 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: devices for serve Alan's uh. And a lot of the 120 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 1: work on this technology starts is based in a place 121 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 1: called Moffett Field. It's the largest lighter than air based 122 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:14,240 Speaker 1: in California. At the time, they had an airfield on 123 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 1: Treasure Island right there in San Francisco Bay. I gotta 124 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 1: tell you, I don't know if you guys remember the 125 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: show Fringe. Uh, no big spoilers, but they have a 126 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:28,720 Speaker 1: great alternate reality wherein you know, the Hindenburg never burned 127 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 1: and people weren't such jerks about blimps, and I just 128 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:35,679 Speaker 1: got it's my dream to go in one. I got 129 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:37,720 Speaker 1: really close one time. I got really close to getting 130 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:40,600 Speaker 1: into Goodyear blimp. I think I mentioned earlier Ben There's 131 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:43,240 Speaker 1: still time, my friend, There's still time. And it makes 132 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 1: me think of one of the earliest episodes of Ridiculous 133 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,680 Speaker 1: History that we did talking about how blimps were once 134 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:55,559 Speaker 1: constructed using uh, the gutty membranes that encase sausages. Yes, 135 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:59,080 Speaker 1: that's correct, that's correct. Our show has Loki had a 136 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 1: love affair with for a very long time. Uh. It's 137 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:04,520 Speaker 1: good that we acknowledge that. Get it out in the open. 138 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:09,440 Speaker 1: So uh, from this place, from Treasure Island, blimps are 139 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:13,560 Speaker 1: dispatched to patrol the coast and they're searching for Japanese subs. 140 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:16,080 Speaker 1: That's like the number one thing they're doing. One of 141 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:19,560 Speaker 1: these blimps is the L eight airship and it's part 142 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:24,480 Speaker 1: of what's called Airship Patrol Squadron thirty two. Uh. This 143 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:28,480 Speaker 1: was originally a good Year blimp and it was used 144 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:32,000 Speaker 1: for advertising until the Navy thought, oh man, these subs 145 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 1: are killing us literally. Uh. The Navy went to good 146 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 1: Year and bought the blimp from them and then shipped 147 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:42,319 Speaker 1: it out to the West coast. Uh, and it's it's 148 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 1: pretty cool. Presumably did a little retro fitting. You know. 149 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:48,319 Speaker 1: I imagine that the original Goodyear version of it didn't 150 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:52,719 Speaker 1: have like depth charges or whatever attached to it. Right. Yeah, 151 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:55,440 Speaker 1: Well one would hope, one would hope. You know. Uh, 152 00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:59,839 Speaker 1: they did do some extensive work too. They assembled a 153 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:03,680 Speaker 1: they you know, commissioned it. They added some things to it. 154 00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:08,680 Speaker 1: It's a hundred and fifty feet long. It's held aloft 155 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:13,840 Speaker 1: by a huge envelope of helium three thousand cubic feet, 156 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:19,079 Speaker 1: and it's powered by two pretty good engines. They're a 157 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: hundred horsepower. Uh, it had it had a good reputation 158 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:26,760 Speaker 1: during before the Navy got it. It had flown more 159 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:30,000 Speaker 1: than one thousand times, and all it needed was maintenance 160 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 1: and repair was really dependable, gotta say, really quickly, really cool, 161 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:38,439 Speaker 1: kind of Badassuh. Name of the engines was the Warner 162 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 1: Super scar Up Type five. Yeah, that's that's correct. And 163 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:47,280 Speaker 1: like any other military vehicle, this thing is inspected on 164 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:52,120 Speaker 1: a regular basis. So before the crew gets on board 165 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:56,600 Speaker 1: for this trip, this mystery trip, about four days before 166 00:10:56,640 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 1: they embark, the lad is examined and it's found to 167 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:05,880 Speaker 1: be in fine working condition. So it's it's should this 168 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 1: should be a routine surveillance thing. I guess we should 169 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:12,280 Speaker 1: talk about the crew, right. We've got a crew of 170 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:16,800 Speaker 1: two people in this blip. So in August two, the 171 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:20,520 Speaker 1: two man crew of the L eight UM was on 172 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:24,360 Speaker 1: a maneuver, a very routine maneuver in fact, um to 173 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:28,880 Speaker 1: conduct what was referred to as a raid along the 174 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:33,000 Speaker 1: coast of California and then returning to that base. Uh 175 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:36,640 Speaker 1: if I'm a mistaken, which was on Treasure Island, Ben, Yes, Yeah, 176 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:39,520 Speaker 1: that's that's where they're deploying from exactly so. Um. The 177 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:41,760 Speaker 1: first pilot was a gentleman by the name of Lieutenant 178 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:45,800 Speaker 1: Ernest Cody, and the second pilot a gentleman by the 179 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:48,840 Speaker 1: name of Ensign Charles Adams Ben. I don't know what 180 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:51,000 Speaker 1: an ensign is. This is a new one for me. Yeah. 181 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: It's the sixteenth rank in the U. S. Navy, So 182 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:57,400 Speaker 1: it's above a Let's see, if I remember correctly, it's 183 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:02,559 Speaker 1: directly below a lieutenant junior. Great, got it. Sixteen. That's 184 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 1: a lot how many. I didn't realize there were that 185 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 1: many ranks. It's just one, okay, yeah, a lot of ranks. 186 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:11,679 Speaker 1: I'd love to learn more about those. But um, they 187 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:15,400 Speaker 1: were both so so again up there, they they had 188 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:19,439 Speaker 1: some experience. These were not green pilots. UM. Lieutenant Ernest 189 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:23,840 Speaker 1: DeWitt Cody was twenty seven years old was quite experienced. UM. 190 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:26,120 Speaker 1: As the pilot of the l A, this was his 191 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 1: regular gig. He'd had a bit of a moment in 192 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:34,800 Speaker 1: the press spotlight before when he was a part of 193 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 1: a raid called the Doolittle Raid that made the news, 194 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:41,600 Speaker 1: where sixteen B twenty five bombers were launched from a 195 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:45,320 Speaker 1: aircraft carrier to strike Tokyo. The story there is. On 196 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 1: April four of nineteen two, Cody deployed from San Francisco 197 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:53,199 Speaker 1: in the l A to meet up with the aircraft carrier, 198 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:56,360 Speaker 1: the USS Hornet, which was loaded down with those bombers. 199 00:12:56,880 --> 00:13:01,760 Speaker 1: UM and the Hornet had left the port two days before, 200 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:03,839 Speaker 1: and the l A was going to deliver a crate 201 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:09,960 Speaker 1: containing three hundred pounds of spare parts for those bombers. Yeah, 202 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:13,559 Speaker 1: so they they helped make the Dolittle rate possible. So 203 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:17,480 Speaker 1: they got a good shout out in the domestic media. 204 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:22,479 Speaker 1: And aside from like these types of maybe reconnaissance missions 205 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:26,240 Speaker 1: or what you have maybe consider as um kind of 206 00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:29,319 Speaker 1: monitoring the coast, I imagine that these blimps were probably 207 00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:39,160 Speaker 1: pretty useful for doing uh supply drops as well. Right sure, yeah, 208 00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:41,880 Speaker 1: you know what, I want to stop for a second 209 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:44,720 Speaker 1: for for one tangent, which is going to be important. 210 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:47,360 Speaker 1: This le answering questions some of our fellow listeners may 211 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:50,600 Speaker 1: have already had. What is the difference between a zeppelin 212 00:13:50,760 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 1: and a blimp? The difference is very simple. They're both airships, 213 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:59,080 Speaker 1: but a zeppelin has a rigid structure. A blimp is 214 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:02,880 Speaker 1: more like a shape balloon that has an engine and 215 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:08,600 Speaker 1: a passenger compartment. The Zeppelin is named after the inventor 216 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:13,720 Speaker 1: with the awesome name of Ferdinand van Zeppelin. He he 217 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 1: is the one who wanted to devise a steerable dirigible 218 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 1: or balloon. So that's the difference is the metal skeleton. 219 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:25,080 Speaker 1: These guys are in a blimp to be clear. Uh. 220 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:28,160 Speaker 1: And the other guy that we mentioned the ensign there, 221 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:32,000 Speaker 1: he is thirty eight years old at this time. He 222 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 1: has also experienced He's a twenty year veteran of airships. 223 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 1: He was physically there at the crash of the Hindenburg 224 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:42,400 Speaker 1: and seven. He's one of the people who rushed in 225 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:46,280 Speaker 1: fearlessly to pull out survivors. And he obviously has some 226 00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:49,400 Speaker 1: stones because he clearly did not let that like sour 227 00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:52,920 Speaker 1: his love of of blimping, which is the official name 228 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:55,520 Speaker 1: for piloting a blimp. Yeah, none of these Neither of 229 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:57,840 Speaker 1: these guys were chumps. There were no chumps in the squad, 230 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:02,320 Speaker 1: so they would have had a crew of three people. 231 00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:08,280 Speaker 1: But weather conditions wet fog specifically hampered their plan. The 232 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:11,520 Speaker 1: blimp had a soft surface, so this wet fog weighed 233 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:16,080 Speaker 1: it down significantly. And their third guy, the mechanic had 234 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:18,600 Speaker 1: to stay on the ground, so it was just these 235 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:22,080 Speaker 1: two dudes. They were scheduled to fly to the Fairy 236 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:25,760 Speaker 1: Lawn Islands, thirty miles west of San Francisco. From there 237 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:28,240 Speaker 1: they were going to go north to Point Rais and 238 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:31,600 Speaker 1: then south to Montera Beach and then returned to Treasure Island, 239 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:35,080 Speaker 1: so just kind of a loop around of patrol. And 240 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:39,120 Speaker 1: they thought this would take about four hours, meaning that 241 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:43,480 Speaker 1: the team should be back on base sometime between ten 242 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:46,600 Speaker 1: and ten thirty in the morning. And as a routine thing, 243 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:50,880 Speaker 1: no plot twist, just looking around. It started off completely 244 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:55,280 Speaker 1: normal at what was normal as six oh three am, 245 00:15:55,320 --> 00:16:00,840 Speaker 1: but then am they spied something suspicious on the placid 246 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:05,160 Speaker 1: surface of the Atlantic. Uh. It was a stain, a 247 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:09,320 Speaker 1: very suspicious stain, potentially an oil slick near the fair 248 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:13,520 Speaker 1: Aln Islands. And Cody said over the radio, uh, and 249 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:19,240 Speaker 1: investigating suspicious oil slick stand by, Well, that can't be good. Uh. 250 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 1: So they had to investigate this because it could be 251 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:28,400 Speaker 1: clear evidence of an enemy submarine and that's why they 252 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:31,360 Speaker 1: dropped two lights they called them float lights Mark four 253 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:34,520 Speaker 1: float lights and started to explore the area, circling it 254 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 1: for an hour. Would these have been flare type situations 255 00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:40,880 Speaker 1: been like that that would be waterproof and would allow 256 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 1: them to kind of see the surface of the water 257 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:45,200 Speaker 1: more clearly. What do you think? That's kind of what 258 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:50,080 Speaker 1: I think? Okay, uh so, yeah, it's well, it's it's 259 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:55,080 Speaker 1: interesting because they also dropped smoke flares. Oh see, I 260 00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:56,640 Speaker 1: saw a video about this and and I was a 261 00:16:56,680 --> 00:16:59,040 Speaker 1: little confused because they kept saying float lights and I 262 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:00,920 Speaker 1: wasn't sure what they meant. For some reason, I thought 263 00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:03,360 Speaker 1: it was some sort of like a dinghy, you know, 264 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:06,800 Speaker 1: like a like a booty type situation. But I wonder 265 00:17:06,840 --> 00:17:08,639 Speaker 1: they wouldn't have had, like I guess that would have 266 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:12,679 Speaker 1: they have had battery operated waterproof lights at that point. Like, 267 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:15,800 Speaker 1: I'm just wondering what generated the lights in addition to 268 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:18,919 Speaker 1: having to drop the flares. Well, this may be something 269 00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:22,479 Speaker 1: some of our veteran friends in the audience can clear 270 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 1: up for us, because in the Daily Telegraph float lights 271 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:31,720 Speaker 1: are described as smoke flares to mark the spot where 272 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:35,960 Speaker 1: the oil sleek is, but in other descriptions, such as 273 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:41,240 Speaker 1: war history online dot com, they're described almost as if 274 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:43,720 Speaker 1: they're two different things. So for now, let's just say 275 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:48,119 Speaker 1: that they alerted the nearby fishing trawlers got it, the 276 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:51,919 Speaker 1: Daisy Gray, and then another ship, the Albert Gallatin. And 277 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:55,400 Speaker 1: then at that point the crew of the Albert Gallatin, 278 00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:57,520 Speaker 1: which is just to be clear, was not a civilian 279 00:17:57,680 --> 00:18:01,080 Speaker 1: ship like the Daisy Gray, which was a vessel. They 280 00:18:01,119 --> 00:18:04,320 Speaker 1: sounded the alarms and prepared to lend a hand in 281 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:09,280 Speaker 1: terms of like their weaponry. They you know, ready the guns. Yeah, 282 00:18:09,359 --> 00:18:13,400 Speaker 1: the Gallatin was a what's called a liberty ship. It's 283 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:16,240 Speaker 1: a kind of cargo ship that was built during World 284 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:20,840 Speaker 1: War Two. So they had weaponry aboard this one. And 285 00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:24,119 Speaker 1: they were able to observe the blimp because it was 286 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:28,440 Speaker 1: circling at a really really low elevation, only two d 287 00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 1: three feet from the surface or six for everyone outside 288 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:37,800 Speaker 1: of Namibia and the United States. Uh. The first mate 289 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 1: on this fishing trawler can clearly see two men in 290 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:43,360 Speaker 1: the gondola and says one of them as dark Hair. 291 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:45,840 Speaker 1: And then they also see at nine am that the 292 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:49,680 Speaker 1: crew throws the crew of the Ghost Blimp throws off 293 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:52,760 Speaker 1: the ballast. They rise, and they turn and they're heading 294 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:56,920 Speaker 1: back towards San Francisco. This is the last time that 295 00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:00,480 Speaker 1: either of those two men were ever seen or heard 296 00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:04,600 Speaker 1: from again. There was nothing suspicious about this. You know, 297 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:06,800 Speaker 1: back at this point, if you lived on the coast 298 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:09,520 Speaker 1: to California, you would see patrols, a blimps. It was 299 00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:12,639 Speaker 1: a regular routine thing. So they thought nothing of it. 300 00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:16,560 Speaker 1: They thought they were just doing their job. But air 301 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:21,159 Speaker 1: traffic controllers over there Moffat Field are starting to get 302 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:26,159 Speaker 1: a little squigged out because they're not hearing anything on 303 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:29,680 Speaker 1: the radio from the blimp. Right that Their last transmission 304 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:32,520 Speaker 1: would have been that thing about investigating the suspicious oil slick, 305 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:36,720 Speaker 1: right yeah, And by eight fifty a m. The L 306 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:40,080 Speaker 1: eight was still silent. When no follow up, So two 307 00:19:40,119 --> 00:19:44,320 Speaker 1: planes were sent out vaut os to you Kingfisher Flute planes, 308 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:48,280 Speaker 1: and they were just sent out to physically find the 309 00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:50,919 Speaker 1: L A, to find the blimp. And then there was 310 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:54,240 Speaker 1: a kind of like an all points bullets and put 311 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:58,200 Speaker 1: out where other aircraft were told, Hey, there's a stray 312 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:01,280 Speaker 1: blimp somewhere. We don't out nowhere, tell us if you 313 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:03,520 Speaker 1: see it. They haven't checked in, so this wouldn't have 314 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:08,399 Speaker 1: been officially like a rescue mission yet, but they were 315 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:10,159 Speaker 1: out there to kind of figure out what was going on. 316 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:12,719 Speaker 1: Perhaps it could have been chocked up to like communication 317 00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:15,320 Speaker 1: equipment malfunction or what have you. But by ten forty 318 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:19,440 Speaker 1: nine am, the pilot of a Pan American clipper ship 319 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:24,800 Speaker 1: reported that as he approached San Francisco, he noticed the 320 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:28,120 Speaker 1: blimp hovering over the Golden Gate Bridge. So, okay, things 321 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:31,600 Speaker 1: are looking up. Uh. Then yet two more reports from 322 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:34,359 Speaker 1: different aircraft saying they've seen the ship too, So it 323 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:37,199 Speaker 1: seemed like things were heading in the right direction. But 324 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:40,679 Speaker 1: then at eleven am, v L eight did a really 325 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:44,879 Speaker 1: funky maneuver. It like rose sharply and disappeared into the 326 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:50,159 Speaker 1: clouds and gained altitude quickly of about two thousand feet. Okay, 327 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:53,639 Speaker 1: so this is important because blimps have a lot of 328 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 1: caveats to their operations, and these guys just hit one 329 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 1: of the big ones. Two thousand feet is pretty close 330 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 1: to a threshold at which a blimps valves automatically open, 331 00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:08,800 Speaker 1: and the reason they open is so that they can 332 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 1: release helium and prevent an explosion. That's why crew members 333 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:17,080 Speaker 1: would do their best to avoid ever getting past that height. 334 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:21,040 Speaker 1: But this crew, as you said, just ignored this and 335 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:24,560 Speaker 1: consequences be damned. And that would have been some relatively 336 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:28,240 Speaker 1: low tech situation like a Bara metric, you know, measurement 337 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:31,840 Speaker 1: thing that can detect altitude and then would have triggered 338 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:35,199 Speaker 1: this release valve. Correct. Yeah, that would be automated. They 339 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:37,840 Speaker 1: would not have to do anything. That happens automatically. We 340 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:40,960 Speaker 1: can get that height. Twenty minutes later, the airship is 341 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:45,000 Speaker 1: spotted over the coastal Highway. We have we have a 342 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:49,399 Speaker 1: photo from one Richard Qualm, who was a seman on duty. 343 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:51,800 Speaker 1: He took this photo. It went around to all the 344 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:57,000 Speaker 1: newspapers because in this photo, no one is in the 345 00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:01,800 Speaker 1: passenger compartment of the blimp. The engines don't work. Uh, 346 00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:05,840 Speaker 1: the shell that was filled with helium is partially blown off, 347 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:09,920 Speaker 1: and the l ad itself is quickly like descending in 348 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:14,880 Speaker 1: the air. It's losing gas, starting to resemble that broken 349 00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:17,040 Speaker 1: Wiener that we talked about at the top of the show. Right, 350 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:20,719 Speaker 1: that's that's correct. It's it's it's on its way to Wienerhood. 351 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:25,960 Speaker 1: Two swimmers we're nearby. They saw hanging ropes dangling from 352 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:28,199 Speaker 1: the blimp. They tried to grab it and stop it, 353 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:30,600 Speaker 1: but it was just too heavy because you know, it's 354 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:33,320 Speaker 1: a blimp and they're just two dudes that that that's 355 00:22:33,359 --> 00:22:38,480 Speaker 1: a valiant effort. I appreciate the klitza of these swimmers UM. 356 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:41,679 Speaker 1: But then the l A I don't know, do you 357 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:44,000 Speaker 1: call it running aground? I think it's just more crashed 358 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:48,080 Speaker 1: uh into a golf course. And one of the depth 359 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:50,439 Speaker 1: charges that we were talking about that would only go 360 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:54,240 Speaker 1: off in water, thankfully UH fell off because they're also 361 00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:58,040 Speaker 1: triggered automatically by pressure UM, so they wouldn't have like 362 00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:01,520 Speaker 1: just impact exploded. They would have needed to be triggered 363 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:03,600 Speaker 1: by a depth That's what they're called a depth charge, 364 00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:05,600 Speaker 1: because they have to reach a certain depth and then 365 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:09,440 Speaker 1: the charge is triggered and they explode. But even though 366 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:13,080 Speaker 1: it didn't explode, think about the weight. It just sheds 367 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:15,159 Speaker 1: so much weight and so now it's almost like the 368 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:19,560 Speaker 1: blimp is bouncing because without that way, it rises back 369 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:24,880 Speaker 1: up again and it drifts east over the Crocker Amazon 370 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:29,000 Speaker 1: neighborhood UH near the San Mateo, San Francisco County line. 371 00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 1: It starts to lose its elevation again because it's leaking 372 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:35,920 Speaker 1: all this helium. It scrapes rooftops. It's this is exactly 373 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:38,040 Speaker 1: what we were talking about in the beginning. It hits 374 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:42,679 Speaker 1: those telephone lines, arcs of electricity, and then it touches 375 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:47,320 Speaker 1: down in front of a house at four nineteen Bellevue Avenue. 376 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:50,920 Speaker 1: It's safe to say the residents of that house, we're 377 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:55,520 Speaker 1: not expecting a blimp delivery. Uh. Two thousand people running 378 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:58,520 Speaker 1: out in the streets. What happened? What happened? What happened? Uh? 379 00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:01,400 Speaker 1: They're joined by military person now and police who are 380 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:04,040 Speaker 1: trying to stop the crowd from running up to this 381 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:06,680 Speaker 1: blimp which might explode because it still has one depth 382 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:10,960 Speaker 1: charge left and it's leaking gasoline. Its engines are pointed 383 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:13,840 Speaker 1: at the ground. You know. We it's it's like it's 384 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:19,960 Speaker 1: tragically yet gracefully draped over dodged sedan. And here's the 385 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:22,320 Speaker 1: pain in the ass about it for that guy, the 386 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:26,360 Speaker 1: owner of the sedan, have been meticulously waxing it when 387 00:24:26,359 --> 00:24:28,639 Speaker 1: he saw the blimp, then he had to run it. 388 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:30,919 Speaker 1: Sounds like that should be like a verse from the 389 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:35,280 Speaker 1: Alanis Morset song. Ironic. You know, it's like a blim 390 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:39,119 Speaker 1: crash when you've been waxing, y'all. Car, I never mind 391 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:47,440 Speaker 1: all workshop that with Alanis really quickly. But so the 392 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:50,160 Speaker 1: reason that the Hindenberg exploded was because it was filled 393 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:55,399 Speaker 1: with hydrogen, which is a massively combustible gas. UM, but 394 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:59,360 Speaker 1: I think it had properties that made it better then helium, 395 00:24:59,359 --> 00:25:01,119 Speaker 1: which is why it was used. It was more readily 396 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:04,160 Speaker 1: available or something. And then obviously after that they pivoted 397 00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:06,320 Speaker 1: to helium. But can you remember why off the top 398 00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:09,440 Speaker 1: of your head hydrogen was used at all, Like there 399 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:12,000 Speaker 1: had to be some reason that it was superior to 400 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:17,359 Speaker 1: helium despite its incredibly combustible nature. Yeah, helium weighs about 401 00:25:17,359 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 1: twice as much as hydrogen, So if you have helium 402 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:26,439 Speaker 1: in your airship, it reduces the uh, it reduces your 403 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:30,320 Speaker 1: maximum elevation or your cruising range because it has less 404 00:25:30,359 --> 00:25:34,080 Speaker 1: of a lift basically, right. But they very quickly realized 405 00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:36,719 Speaker 1: that hydrogen was a no go because you know, Hindenburgh. 406 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:40,200 Speaker 1: But back to the L eight. So there's this melee 407 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:44,159 Speaker 1: you know in the streets. UM, the the the gas 408 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:46,719 Speaker 1: bag which I love as like an insult or as 409 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:49,680 Speaker 1: a term, you know for a balloon. UM had completely 410 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:54,359 Speaker 1: deflated UM and it was absolutely covering that Dodge sedan. 411 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:57,560 Speaker 1: Like you said, the gondola doors was upended. They were 412 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:02,280 Speaker 1: swinging swung wide open. Thankful a you know, it's a blimp, 413 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:04,479 Speaker 1: and it did kind of land gently. It wasn't like 414 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:06,880 Speaker 1: a plane crash. I mean, it just sort of gently 415 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:09,560 Speaker 1: hovers down to the ground and then touches down. So 416 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:13,440 Speaker 1: any crew members should have been able to walk away unscathed, right, 417 00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:19,399 Speaker 1: and yet there was no one aboard a yeah, those uh, 418 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:24,240 Speaker 1: those two guys were missing. Also, just to be very clear, 419 00:26:24,280 --> 00:26:27,960 Speaker 1: with helium and hydrogen, helium has the big advantage of 420 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:32,399 Speaker 1: not being flammable. It's just rare and a little more expensive. 421 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:35,040 Speaker 1: There's actually, actually for anybody who is a fan of 422 00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:39,600 Speaker 1: birthday balloons, there are concerns about a helium shortage that 423 00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:41,760 Speaker 1: you know, the idea that Earth may be running out 424 00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:46,000 Speaker 1: of helium. Episode for another day. But anyhow, this is 425 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:51,960 Speaker 1: where the investigators find themselves amid the mystery Casey, can 426 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:55,400 Speaker 1: we can we have that creepy music please? Yeah? Suspenseful? 427 00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:58,520 Speaker 1: All right. There's a lot of fuel left in the tanks, 428 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:03,080 Speaker 1: three parachutes, single life raft, the machine gun, the pilot's 429 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:07,800 Speaker 1: personal weapons, allowed speaker, a walkie talkie. Everything else is 430 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:10,919 Speaker 1: in place. One door of the gondola is locked, the 431 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 1: second one is just closed and unlocked. The motors were fine, 432 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:18,400 Speaker 1: at least except for where they had hit the pavement. 433 00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:22,000 Speaker 1: All the control buttons were in the on position. The 434 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:25,960 Speaker 1: radio was working right, The radio was fine, and if 435 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:29,479 Speaker 1: it hadn't have been, the crew had literally had a 436 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:32,639 Speaker 1: loud speaker on the vessel and they could just have 437 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:36,560 Speaker 1: yelled out to any one day floated past. And the 438 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:39,840 Speaker 1: parachutes were fine. There were a couple of things missing, 439 00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:43,640 Speaker 1: smoke bombs and life jackets, so did they jump out? 440 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:47,960 Speaker 1: Problem is that it was common for military pilots to 441 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:51,560 Speaker 1: just wear the life jackets already even if something wasn't 442 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:54,560 Speaker 1: going wrong. And again, these were highly trained airship pilots. 443 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:57,760 Speaker 1: And like we said, the briefcase, uh, the light's briefcase, 444 00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:00,000 Speaker 1: which would have contained I guess like manifest type things 445 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:02,879 Speaker 1: you know, with like the cargo or payload or whatever 446 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:06,600 Speaker 1: information was found behind the pilot seat in in like 447 00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:11,240 Speaker 1: a lock box situation. So the implication there was that 448 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:14,680 Speaker 1: Cody Adams wouldn't have thought what was happened with Syria 449 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:17,840 Speaker 1: enough to warrant getting rid of those documents so they 450 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:21,879 Speaker 1: wouldn't fall into enemy hands, right, Yeah, And it makes sense, 451 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:26,040 Speaker 1: and the Navy is at a loss. They search everywhere, 452 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:29,560 Speaker 1: as we said, for these uh, these two missing men. Uh. 453 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:33,520 Speaker 1: They comb the area of the flight path all nights 454 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 1: and for the next three days they have good weather 455 00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 1: for the search, but they cannot find any sign of 456 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:46,240 Speaker 1: these officials. Uh. The Navy said that they think there's 457 00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:50,000 Speaker 1: it's highly unlikely that these guys would have been attacked 458 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:55,360 Speaker 1: by enemy forces nobody, Like. The Navy went on record 459 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:59,840 Speaker 1: saying no one can give a satisfactory explanation of what happened. 460 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:06,240 Speaker 1: So they start asking civilians and naval personnel. No, they 461 00:29:06,320 --> 00:29:09,160 Speaker 1: found that there were no missiles, there were no uh, 462 00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:11,840 Speaker 1: there are no fires, no attacks. There didn't seem to 463 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:14,880 Speaker 1: be any kind of miscellaneous conduct on the part of 464 00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:18,480 Speaker 1: the ground crew or anyone. And they went back to 465 00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:20,960 Speaker 1: those ships who said, yeah, we saw them just fine 466 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:22,960 Speaker 1: in the ocean totally. And there's a lot of like 467 00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:24,840 Speaker 1: video and maybe not video, but there's a lot of 468 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:27,240 Speaker 1: like photography that you can find online and like in 469 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:29,960 Speaker 1: some of these history YouTube videos that we looked at 470 00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:32,720 Speaker 1: of you know, the thing just kind of hovering there. 471 00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:34,480 Speaker 1: There's there's a good shot of it like all kind 472 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:36,400 Speaker 1: of caved in in the middle, like like the broken 473 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:40,560 Speaker 1: Wiener situation. Uh. So then Commander Francis Connell heads up 474 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:44,600 Speaker 1: aboard to launch an inquiry, a week long inquiry that 475 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:46,880 Speaker 1: takes testimony from all these folks that were talking about 476 00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 1: naval personnel that were involved UM and established that there 477 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:55,360 Speaker 1: was quoting just from the inquest UH no fire, no submersion, 478 00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:58,960 Speaker 1: no misconduct, and no missiles destruct The l eight, UM, 479 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:01,440 Speaker 1: that other ship that we talk about, the fishing vessel 480 00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:04,960 Speaker 1: Daisy Gray, UH and UM from the military vessel the 481 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:08,840 Speaker 1: Gallatin all testified, gave the time stamps. You know, all 482 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:11,720 Speaker 1: of the sequence of events was laid out very clearly. 483 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:15,120 Speaker 1: And remember there was that one point where they absolutely 484 00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:18,040 Speaker 1: did see the crew members aboard in that in that 485 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:20,760 Speaker 1: gondola because it's not huge and there's like you know, 486 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:23,720 Speaker 1: very clear windows, so you can see there's there's people 487 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:28,120 Speaker 1: on there. Yeah. Nobody could answer the most basic questions, 488 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:32,080 Speaker 1: why did they stop broadcasting the radio is working? Why 489 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:36,200 Speaker 1: did they leave the airship midflight? What happened? And that 490 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:40,120 Speaker 1: mysterious uh stretch of time between when they spotted the 491 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:42,960 Speaker 1: oil slick and when they came ashore at Ocean Beach, 492 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 1: So between seven forty two and eleven fifteen am. This 493 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:49,520 Speaker 1: is the weirdest part why didn't they send a radio 494 00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:53,960 Speaker 1: message after they cited that oil slick? If so, if 495 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:57,280 Speaker 1: one person fell from the cabin while investigating, why didn't 496 00:30:57,280 --> 00:31:01,160 Speaker 1: someone else, the other guy radio for help? Like? What where? 497 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:04,720 Speaker 1: Where the hell did they go? This is where the 498 00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:08,680 Speaker 1: conspiracies proliferate. You had people saying, well, they were captured 499 00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:11,320 Speaker 1: by a Japanese sub and then, of course, because it's 500 00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:13,680 Speaker 1: World War Two, you had people say no, no, no, 501 00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:17,560 Speaker 1: they were spine for Japan and they rendezvous with one 502 00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:22,320 Speaker 1: of those sneaky Japanese subs to make their escape. Interesting, 503 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:28,960 Speaker 1: that's that's an interesting one. Yeah, um, But the results 504 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:31,920 Speaker 1: of this inquest really generated more questions than it did answers, 505 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:35,560 Speaker 1: right um. And of course, whenever you have a vacuum 506 00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:39,160 Speaker 1: of of of answers, it's going to be filled by 507 00:31:39,160 --> 00:31:42,640 Speaker 1: all kinds of outlandish theories. Um. And there were quite 508 00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:45,200 Speaker 1: a few. You just mentioned a couple, but they get 509 00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:48,080 Speaker 1: even weirder. I mean, it's not really within the scope 510 00:31:48,120 --> 00:31:52,160 Speaker 1: of this episode, but alien abduction was even something that's 511 00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:55,400 Speaker 1: been kicked around over the years, right um. One of 512 00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:58,000 Speaker 1: my favorites, or maybe the one not my favorite, but 513 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:00,760 Speaker 1: the one that seems most plausible. Is that there was 514 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:04,040 Speaker 1: a malfunction and one of the crew members had to 515 00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:08,000 Speaker 1: climb outside of the airship to you know, mess with 516 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:12,080 Speaker 1: it um and then got stuck or was in peril 517 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:14,880 Speaker 1: in some way, and then the other crew member had 518 00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:18,440 Speaker 1: to go to his rescue and then they both fell. Right. 519 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:21,800 Speaker 1: But again, it seems a little weird like that they 520 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:26,040 Speaker 1: would both be put themselves in that situation, right. Yeah, 521 00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:29,520 Speaker 1: this is no holds barred speculation. Uh. The one that's 522 00:32:29,560 --> 00:32:31,800 Speaker 1: the most hilarious to me is the idea that a 523 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:36,800 Speaker 1: stowaway had snuck on board and in mid air has 524 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:40,440 Speaker 1: somehow overpowered these guys got rid of them and got 525 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:42,920 Speaker 1: rid of themselves as well. But if you've ever seen 526 00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:47,680 Speaker 1: the inside of one of these compartments, there's no place 527 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:50,320 Speaker 1: for someone to sneak away and hide. It's it's just 528 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:52,800 Speaker 1: not happening. They would have to be very, very small. 529 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:55,400 Speaker 1: It's like one of those like Kia model bedrooms, you know, 530 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:57,560 Speaker 1: like I mean, but with way lets way way fewer 531 00:32:57,600 --> 00:33:02,280 Speaker 1: compartments probably and way let way less Scandinavian design, no 532 00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:04,520 Speaker 1: question about it. Then there's the theory that it was 533 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:06,880 Speaker 1: some kind of a wall situation gone awry, or they 534 00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:09,680 Speaker 1: were trying to escape, like you said, not a Japanese 535 00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:12,480 Speaker 1: spy situation, just literally trying to get the heck out 536 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:15,040 Speaker 1: of there. Uh. And then my personal favorite is that 537 00:33:15,120 --> 00:33:17,560 Speaker 1: it was it was over a woman. There was some 538 00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:21,920 Speaker 1: kind of bizarre love triangle situation going on. One crewdman 539 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:26,400 Speaker 1: murdered the other. Uh, and they all, you know, but 540 00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:32,680 Speaker 1: dumped his body and then fell overboard. That ism is 541 00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:34,960 Speaker 1: gonna get you. Here, here comes another, here comes one. This, 542 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:37,400 Speaker 1: this it'll be familiar to so they don't want you 543 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:39,800 Speaker 1: to know listeners. Uh. In an episode we just did 544 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:42,040 Speaker 1: about the disappearance of a young woman on a Disney 545 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:46,160 Speaker 1: cruise ship. Uh. The idea of a rogue wave, which 546 00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:50,600 Speaker 1: is often in nautical investigations kind of like the go to. 547 00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:53,080 Speaker 1: It was a rogue wave, which if you're not familiar 548 00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:56,160 Speaker 1: with that, it's just a massive, massive wave that kind 549 00:33:56,160 --> 00:34:00,320 Speaker 1: of comes out of nowhere and f's here s up. Yeah. 550 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:03,680 Speaker 1: Not to be confused with a ranger wave, a barred wave, 551 00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:06,040 Speaker 1: or a palette and wave. They're very you know, they're 552 00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:09,120 Speaker 1: very discrete different classes of waves. But you're right, road 553 00:34:09,160 --> 00:34:13,399 Speaker 1: waves come up as the like last ditch explanation when 554 00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:16,080 Speaker 1: investigators are at a loss for something, but they are real. 555 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:19,319 Speaker 1: They do happen. There's another theory by a guy named 556 00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:23,839 Speaker 1: Auto Gross who has a website called ghost blimp dot com. 557 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:26,640 Speaker 1: Well then he's legit. Well he spends the tail. I 558 00:34:26,680 --> 00:34:30,120 Speaker 1: think he says the blimp had been secretly testing experimental 559 00:34:30,239 --> 00:34:34,000 Speaker 1: radar and the men were overpowered by microwaves and this 560 00:34:34,120 --> 00:34:36,279 Speaker 1: caused them to tumble out of the cabin. But the 561 00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:39,600 Speaker 1: thing about that story is good story, but there's no 562 00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:45,000 Speaker 1: proof of it. So right now, the most plausible answer 563 00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:48,480 Speaker 1: is also one of the most you know, were one 564 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:52,359 Speaker 1: of the least satisfying and most frightening, because they could 565 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:55,080 Speaker 1: have just made one silly mistake. Something could have been 566 00:34:55,120 --> 00:34:58,440 Speaker 1: wrong with the door. Someone leaned against it, and then 567 00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:01,840 Speaker 1: someone the other guy tried to rab his compatriot, and 568 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:05,560 Speaker 1: then they both fell or something. Once they hit that limit, 569 00:35:05,600 --> 00:35:08,879 Speaker 1: they were having a uh, you know, mechanical malfunction, and 570 00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:12,240 Speaker 1: they didn't think that. They didn't know they were going 571 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:15,200 Speaker 1: slow enough that they would be safer in the cabin, 572 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:17,600 Speaker 1: So maybe they just jumped out somewhere. But then like 573 00:35:17,760 --> 00:35:20,160 Speaker 1: in their parachutes. I guess the thing for me, though, 574 00:35:20,239 --> 00:35:23,000 Speaker 1: is um the window for all this to have happened 575 00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:26,239 Speaker 1: was pretty small from like when they were spotted to 576 00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:30,160 Speaker 1: when the actual crash took place. Yeah, yeah, just from 577 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:34,239 Speaker 1: seven to eleven ish. Uh. We still don't know. That's 578 00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:37,799 Speaker 1: the thing. We don't know what happened to these two 579 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:42,400 Speaker 1: missing airmen. We do know what happened to the L 580 00:35:42,480 --> 00:35:47,239 Speaker 1: eight though. This is where it goes full circle. As 581 00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:50,080 Speaker 1: the mystery dies down, it remains unsolved and the case 582 00:35:50,120 --> 00:35:54,880 Speaker 1: goes cold. The blimp is repaired and it resumes its duty, 583 00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:59,200 Speaker 1: this time as a training vessel. And then after World 584 00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:03,359 Speaker 1: War Two, the Navy gives the blimp back to the 585 00:36:03,360 --> 00:36:06,759 Speaker 1: Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and it becomes a good 586 00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:11,160 Speaker 1: Year blimp and it travels the friendly skies from into 587 00:36:11,239 --> 00:36:15,560 Speaker 1: like nineteen eighty two when it was retired, And there's 588 00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:17,799 Speaker 1: still good Year blimps out there. If you want to 589 00:36:17,840 --> 00:36:22,359 Speaker 1: see the the original L A ghost blimp, you can. 590 00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:27,160 Speaker 1: I believe it's Where's it the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. 591 00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:30,600 Speaker 1: And it's on display now with the same markings it 592 00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:35,839 Speaker 1: had back in That's pretty cool. And you know, the 593 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:39,319 Speaker 1: Goodyear blimps are known for kind of hovering over you know, 594 00:36:39,840 --> 00:36:43,960 Speaker 1: sporting events and patrons of San Francisco Baseball would have 595 00:36:44,040 --> 00:36:48,799 Speaker 1: seen this very same blimp. Uh, the mysteriously crashed right 596 00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:51,279 Speaker 1: in their neck of the woods, hovering over Candlestick Park 597 00:36:51,480 --> 00:36:55,560 Speaker 1: during games. And with that, the story of the ghost 598 00:36:55,640 --> 00:37:00,400 Speaker 1: blimp ends or does it? Perhaps you, fellow ridiculous story 599 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:03,480 Speaker 1: and know something the rest of the world does not. 600 00:37:03,760 --> 00:37:06,720 Speaker 1: If that is the case, we would love to hear 601 00:37:06,840 --> 00:37:09,359 Speaker 1: from you. You can find us on the internet. Find 602 00:37:09,440 --> 00:37:12,759 Speaker 1: us on our Facebook community page, Ridiculous Historians, where you 603 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:15,360 Speaker 1: can meet the best part of this show, your fellow listeners, 604 00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:18,120 Speaker 1: and if you like to sip the social meats. You 605 00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:22,160 Speaker 1: can also find us online as individuals, cash us outside 606 00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:25,480 Speaker 1: or on Instagram where I am at how now Noel Brown? 607 00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:28,280 Speaker 1: How about you? Buddy? You can find me on Twitter 608 00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:31,799 Speaker 1: at Ben Bullan hs W and you can find me 609 00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:34,560 Speaker 1: on Instagram. I'd love to Uh, I'd love to see 610 00:37:34,560 --> 00:37:37,600 Speaker 1: you there. I'm at Ben Bolan. Just hit me up 611 00:37:37,600 --> 00:37:41,520 Speaker 1: with ideas for shows. Always a pleasure, uh, And thanks 612 00:37:41,560 --> 00:37:47,120 Speaker 1: as always to our super producer Casey Pegram. Would you 613 00:37:47,200 --> 00:37:50,040 Speaker 1: ride on a blimp, Casey? But you're ride in an airship? Yeah? 614 00:37:50,080 --> 00:37:52,560 Speaker 1: Why not? Let's do it did we uh at some 615 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:54,600 Speaker 1: point make plans that all three of us were gonna 616 00:37:54,640 --> 00:37:57,200 Speaker 1: try to get up in the good years. Yes, the 617 00:37:57,719 --> 00:38:01,160 Speaker 1: promises were made a line because we're forged and I 618 00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:03,680 Speaker 1: hope to make good on that one day. Huge thanks 619 00:38:03,680 --> 00:38:06,680 Speaker 1: to Alex Williams who composed our theme. Christopher haciotis here 620 00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:10,319 Speaker 1: in spirit, Jonathan chick Land the Quister, See real soon, 621 00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:16,160 Speaker 1: you so and so airship you do Zeppelin? Yeah that's cool. 622 00:38:16,320 --> 00:38:19,960 Speaker 1: That's that. That sounds way too cool, But thanks to 623 00:38:20,120 --> 00:38:24,239 Speaker 1: Eve's Jeff Cote, and thanks of course uh to our 624 00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:27,640 Speaker 1: favorite airman who may or may not have experience on 625 00:38:27,719 --> 00:38:32,640 Speaker 1: a blimp, Gabe Lousier. He is uh the best rated 626 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:35,080 Speaker 1: by us and we cannot wait to have him on 627 00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:37,759 Speaker 1: the show again or reil soon, so stay tuned for that. 628 00:38:38,040 --> 00:38:40,560 Speaker 1: I think his first name is actually pronounced job, you know, 629 00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:43,719 Speaker 1: like the like the biblical figure it's goob, or it's 630 00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:47,400 Speaker 1: it's jabe, you know what I mean, like Jeff. Totally 631 00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:57,960 Speaker 1: see you next time. Flix. For more podcasts for my 632 00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:00,680 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app app podcasts, 633 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:02,880 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.