In January 1924 in preparation for a polar expedition, the dirigible USS Shenandoah was moored to its 160-foot-tall mast for a series of tests to see if she could withstand a violent storm. As reporters watched over several days, the airship performed perfectly, but on the night of the 16th as the ranking crew members were on the ground eating, the wind picked up to 75 mph, and the airship broke loose, leaving part of the nose still attached to the mast.

This punctured several of the forward helium cells, and with the airship’s nose down and no power, the skeleton crew,…