High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! USS Akron (ZRS-4) was a helium-filled rigid airship of the United States Navy that was lost in a weather-related accident off the New Jersey coast early on April 4, 1933, killing 73 of the 76 crew and passengers on board. During its accident-prone 18-month term of service, she also served as a flying aircraft carrier for launching F9C Sparrowhawk biplane fighters.