When Aircraft Carriers Fly: What Were Akron Class Airships & Why Were They Important?

Do navy aircraft carriers need to be massive ships? Not necessarily – they can be mother airships. In the 1930s, the US Navy (briefly) operated two Akron-class airships. These were massive airships designed to be the long-range eyes of the Navy. They could carry up to five F9C-2 Sparrowhawk fighters – a type of parasitic bi-plane. While many of the most ambitious aircraft designs were never made, these two massive flying carriers were. That said, they have been unfortunately largely forgotten to history.