Episode 149: The Curious Case of the L8 Ghost Blimp of 1942

SKIP TO 00:34:00 TO GET TO THE STORY

Welcome to Episode 149: The Curious Case of the L8 Ghost Blimp of 1942! Faced with defending America’s west coast waters against the submarines of the Japanese Imperial Navy, the U.S. decided to enlist the help of blimps. This first official fleet of “LTA” or “lighter-than-air” crafts in California was named Squadron 32. Based out of the cities of Santa Ana, Moffett Field, and Tillamook, Squadron 32 developed a series of helium-filled blimps fitted with bombs and guns to take to the Pacific Ocean for battle. One of these crafts (purchased from the Goodyear company) was named the “L8”. The L8 had a long and lustrous career, carrying out many top secret missions without incident, but one day in the early dawn hours of August 16, 1942, all that would change when two navymen would mysteriously disappear from the blimp without a trace. The abandoned blimp would later be found crashed in a residential neighborhood - one of its bombs still attached. Some say that hot coffee, sandwiches, and even pieces of the men’s clothing remained inside the blimp, undisturbed. Mired in mystery, conspiracies, and intrigue, the L8 soon took on a more sinister nickname - “The Ghost Blimp”. So, what happened to the Ghost Blimp and its two pilots that fateful foggy morning in 1942? Join us as we try to unravel “The Curious Case of the Ghost Blimp of 1942”.

TIME STAMPS

00:00:00 - PERSONAL HAUNTINGS (TITAN SUB, ELEVATOR TO SPACE)

00:21:30 - DONOR SHOUTOUTS

00:34:00 - PART I: BOATS, SUBMARINES, PLANES, AND BLIMPS

01:15:05 - PART II: THE GHOST BLIMP

02:08:00 - PART III: THE THEORIES

02:29:25 - INTERVIEW WITH OTTO K. GROSS

02:59:11 - CLOSING THOUGHTS

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BACKGROUND MUSIC

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