Fleet Problem XIII tested fleet attack, area defense, and naval aviation around Hawaii, making it an unusually valuable setting for Akron. A mooring failure let the wind drive the airship's tail into the ground, damaging the lower fin and tearing handling fittings from the frame. Akron remained unairworthy through March and returned to flight on 20 April 1932 with Moffett and Secretary of the Navy Charles Francis Adams aboard. Successful participation might have strengthened the case for airships at the same moment Admiral Harry Yarnell was pressing the Navy for six to eight conventional carriers.
Notable Point · 2:23:06-2:25:32
The accident that kept Akron out of Fleet Problem XIII
A ground-handling accident denied the Navy a rare chance to compare its flying carrier with conventional aviation during a major Hawaiian fleet exercise.