LB2016.15.545

LB2016.15.545

The U. S. Navy dirigible SHENANDOAH tethered to the USS PATOKA and the yacht LYNDONIA (L) at anchor in Bar Harbor, Maine. The USS SHENANDOAH, named after the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia was officially called a "rigid airship" by the U.S. Navy. Here's why it ended up in Bar Harbor for the Fourth of July back in 1925. In 1925 the governor's conference was held at the then already world-famous Poland Springs Resort in Poland, Maine, about 30 miles north of Portland. While the governors weren't busy conducting official business they, like any other people from away, wanted to see more of the state. So the Navy flew the USS SHENANDOAH from its homeport in Lakehurst, New Jersey up the coast to Bar Harbor to fly the governors back and forth across the state to take in the sights high above the pines. The USS SHENANDOAH was tethered to the USS PATOKA during its idle time while in Bar Harbor. It was quite the sight for both tourists and locals alike as an airship of this type was not seen every day, especially in Maine. The shoreline of Bar Harbor was filled with people admiring the spectacle. Just two short months later the airship, filled with helium would meet its fate during a thunderstorm on September 3rd and break apart while cruising over Ohio. The USS Shenandoah was officially "stricken" by the U.S. Navy on September 5, 1925. https://i95rocks.com/bar-harbor-zeppelin-1925/ LYNDONIA, built 1920, was the second steam-yacht bearing the name and the third yacht built for publisher Cyrus H.K. Curtis of the Curtis Publishing Company by the then Consolidated Shipbuilding Company of Morris Heights, New York. The name is taken from the historic name of his estate, Lyndon, in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. After Curtis' death in 1933, the yacht was purchased by Pan American Airways, converted to a floating hotel for use in the south Pacific and renamed Southern Seas in a shuttle service from Nouméa to Australia. At the outbreak of World War II, the vessel was taken over by the U.S. Army for use as a passenger and cargo ship until grounded on a New Caledonian reef. The ship was salvaged by the U.S. Navy, repaired in New Zealand, commissioned 23 December 1942 as USS Southern Seas and designated as a Patrol Yacht (PY-32). Wikipedia contributors, "Lyndonia (1920)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lyndonia_(1920)&oldid=1090091091 (accessed February 28, 2023).