USS Shenandoah ZR-1 Airship, Latest Addition to the Fleet 1923, 8x10 For Sale

USS Shenandoah ZR-1 Airship
Latest Addition to the Fleet 1923, 8x10
Official Navy Print, Verso Caption Stamp, LakehurstDESCRIPTIONAn official U.S. Navy Photographic Center print documenting the airship USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) resting inside Hangar No. 1 at Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey, shortly after her commissioning in 1923.The full broadside view shows the ship's "U.S.NAVY" lettering, the six-point star national insignia, and the "SHENANDOAH" name stenciled along her hull, with ground crew, work platforms, and support equipment visible beneath her at hangar floor level.The Shenandoah was the first rigid airship built by the United States Navy and the first in the world inflated with helium rather than hydrogen.Her debut followed two fatal foreign-built airship disasters in U.S. military service within the prior two years, the British-built R-38 in 1921 and the Italian-built Roma in 1922, which together killed 78 men, so an American-built rigid airship flying successfully was a genuine milestone, not a routine event.She was christened at Lakehurst on October 10, 1923 by Marion Thurber Denby, wife of the Secretary of the Navy. With Prohibition in effect, no bottle was broken against her hull... instead, Mrs. Denby released a compartment of carrier pigeons carrying a message to President Coolidge announcing the ship's addition to the fleet.That same phrase appears on the original caption stamped to the back of this print: "the latest addition to our aerial fleet."The reverse carries the official Navy caption stamp reading "SHENANDOAH, THE LATEST ADDITION TO OUR AERIAL FLEET, IN HER HANGAR AT LAKEHURST, NEW JERSEY," along with a negative number and "RELEASED" / "NOT FOR PUBLICATION UNLESS OFFICIALLY RELEASED" clearance stamps, printed from the Navy's archived negative of the scene. Images were scanned at 600dpi.Every effort is made for fact checking and provenance including background research through news and historical archives. If any listing is incorrect in any way and you're unsatisfied with the item, please connect with me and I'll make it right.Orders placed before Noon CDT will ship same day Ground Advantage with tracking so you know exactly when it will arrive. Returns accepted on all items exceeding $25 in cost. Rigid, professional packaging on all shipments sealed and protected in acid free protectors. Shipping is free and already built into the price, so the BIN price is exactly what you pay, no surprise shipping costs at checkout.CONDITIONOfficial Navy Photographic Center print on an 8x10 sheet with strong overall contrast and clean detail throughout the hull, hangar structure, and ground-level equipment. Light corner wear and minor handling marks are present, consistent with an archive print that was pulled and reviewed over the decades; no tears or creases affect the image area. The reverse carries the official caption stamp and release markings described above, adding directly to the provenance of the piece.