This piece originally ran in the November 2020 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.
This leather cushion, most likely produced in 1931 or 1932, commemorates the construction and launch of the USS Akron (ZRS-4). The Akron, built by what was then known as the Goodyear Zeppelin Corp. and named for the company’s hometown headquarters in Ohio, was, along with its sister ship, the USS Macon (ZRS-5), one of the largest airships ever built. Constructed as a flying aircraft carrier to transport F9C Sparrowhawk biplanes, the Akron was lost in a severe storm in the Atlantic, leaving 73 dead and just three survivors.