On 24 August 1921 the British airship R-38 crashed into the River Humber, killing 44 people.
The R.38 class (also known as the A class) of rigid airships was designed for the Royal Navy during the final months of the First World War. It was intended for long-range patrol duties over the North Sea.
Four similar airships were originally ordered by the Admiralty, but orders for three of these (R.39, R.40 and R.41) were cancelled after the armistice with Germany and R.38, the lead ship of the class, was sold to the United States Navy in October 1919 before completion.
On 24 August 1921, airship R.38/ZR-2 exploded and crashed into the River Humber in front of thousands of onlookers in Hull, killing 44 of its 49-strong British and American crew.
The R.38/ZR-2 was built at Cardington in Bedfordshire, but was based at Howden, East Riding for its last test flights before being sold to the United States Navy.
While returning to Howden along the Humber, a final test of extreme movements to the airship’s steering to simulate the stresses of bad weather caused the light structure to break apart, resulting in catastrophe. Historic England