G-class blimp

The G-class was a series of non-rigid airships flown by the United States Navy for training and utility work. In 1935, instead of developing a new design, the Navy bought the Goodyear Blimp Defender, the largest blimp in the company fleet of advertising and passenger airships, and designated it G-1. G-1 was in constant use until it was lost in a mid-air collision with another blimp, the L-2, on 8 June 1942, a crash that killed twelve people. As wartime training needs grew, a contract of 24 December 1942 ordered seven more from Goodyear, designated ZNN-G, with envelopes 13,700 cubic feet larger than the first. G-2 to G-5 were delivered by late 1943 and G-6 to G-8 in early 1944, flying mainly from Lakehurst and Moffett Field.