On August 16, 1942, US Navy L-8 blimp set out to patrol for Japanese submarines off the coast of California. Crew were Lieutenant Ernest Dewitt Cody and Ensign Charles Ellis Adams both Navy veterans.
They took off from Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, early in the morning. For this mission L-8 carried two 325-pound Mark 17 depth bombs mounted on an external rack, a .30-caliber machine gun and 300 rounds of ammunition.
Shortly into the patrol, Cody radios that they are investigating a suspicious oil slick. That was the last transmission from the crew.
Fishermen report seeing L-8 circle the area and then head back towards the coast. Also, several passing pilots reported seeing L-8 flying seemingly under control towards San Francisco.
After it reached the mainland blimp began to sag while flying over a nearby golf court at a country club. L-8 continues to Dale City where it descends and crashes onto a street.
Rescuers arrived at the scene within the minutes but they could not find any of the crew members. Bot of theme were missing…
US Navy investigators examined L-8 wreckage and found that all controls are functional and there was plenty of fuel. The radio was intact and the parachutes and life raft were still on board. Investigators determine that there is no reason for the crew to have voluntarily abandoned airship.
A naval inquiry fails to conclude how the men vanished but puts forth a theory. One man may have fallen out of the cabin and the other then fell trying to save him.
Some theorists think that the crew were captured by the Japanese or they had killed each other in a fight. The other less plausible theories involve aliens, secret weapons gone awry and murder-suicide pacts.
The “Ghost Blimp” is quickly put back into service and used as a trainer by the US Navy.
After the war the L-8 is sold to Goodyear and renamed “America”. It was used to broadcast sporting events until it is retired in 1982.
The control car is now restored to its 1942 appearance and on exhibit at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola.
The mystery of L-8 last flight remains unsolved and the fate of Lieutenant Ernest Dewitt Cody and Ensign Charles Ellis Adams is still unknown.
