North Meadow Brook in Norfolk, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Airship Roma Disaster
Photographed By Nancy E. Sheppard, 2020
1. Airship ROMA Disaster Marker
The marker upon its erection in 2020
Inscription.
Airship Roma Disaster. . The U.S. Army dirigible Roma crashed and exploded just west of here during a test flight on 21 Feb 1922. The crash, the deadliest involving a U.S. hydrogen airship, killed 34 out of the 45 officers, crewmen, and civilians on board. Roma, purchased from the Italian government, was based at Langley Field in Hampton and had been plagued with troubles since arriving in the United States in 1921. An investigation blamed the heavy loss of life on the use of hydrogen, a highly inflammable gas. After 1922, U.S. airships were inflated with helium. In later years,the story ofRoma was largely forgotten.
The U.S. Army dirigible Roma crashed and exploded just west of here during a test flight on 21 Feb 1922. The crash, the deadliest involving a U.S. hydrogen airship, killed 34 out of the 45 officers, crewmen, and civilians on board. Roma, purchased from the Italian government, was based at Langley Field in Hampton and had been plagued with troubles since arriving in the United States in 1921. An investigation blamed the heavy loss of life on the use of hydrogen, a highly inflammable gas. After 1922, U.S. airships were inflated with helium. In later years,the story ofRoma was largely forgotten.
Erected 2017 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number KV 9.)
Location. 36° 54.955′ N, 76° 18.427′ W. Marker is in Norfolk, Virginia. It is in North Meadow Brook. Marker is at the intersection of Baylor Place and West Little Creek Road (Virginia Route 165), on the right when traveling north on Baylor Place. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Norfolk VA 23505, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. Sponsored by Nancy E. Sheppard, author & historian, on behalf of the families of the Roma 45.
Additional keywords. Airship Roma Disaster
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 29, 2020, by Nancy E. Sheppard of Yorktown, Virginia. This page has been viewed 612 times since then and 69 times this year. Photo1. submitted on February 29, 2020, by Nancy E. Sheppard of Yorktown, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Wide shot of marker and its surroundings. • Can you help?
