First of all, some photos of Barnegat Lighthouse itself. They’re not hard to find! In fact, this 1850s era structure must be one of New Jersey’s most photographed sites.

Barnegat Light was also the site of one of the worst massacres of the American Revolution, when the loyalist Pine Robber Bloody John Bacon murdered a group of sleeping American sailors on the beach in the dead of night. A manhunt ensued, but the patriots didn’t catch Bacon for about 5 months.

The lighthouse was installed to prevent shipwrecks, of course, but it couldn’t stop Airship wrecks. In 1933, the USS Akron, a helium filled rigid-bodied airship designed as a flying aircraft carrier, plunged into the waters off the coast of Barnegat Light. The tragedy killed 75 people, more than the Hindenburg, making it the worst airship disaster in history.

USS Akron

Sadly, that wasn’t the first time the Akron had cost the lives of its crew. The ship seemed to have a bit of a curse. In one horrific incident, three sailors were pulled by rope some 200 feet into the air when a gust of wind forced the Akron to abandon its landing. Two of the men plummeted to their deaths, while the third managed to hang on for two hours until a rescue could be managed.



This video clip shows the incident from its beginning to its end, including the sailors falling to the ground. Please be warned: It’s disturbing.

Pity about the watermark.

