Hindenburg rescue hero dies at 94
Published: December 4, 2005
John Iannacone , one of the last surviving “sky sailors” from the U.S. Navy’s rigid airship program in the 1920s and ’30s and a hero of the Hindenburg crash, is dead at 94.
Iannacone, who survived the Hindenburg’s airship crash and rescued passengers during the first seconds of its fire, died early Friday afternoon at Kimball Medical Center in Lakehurst after suffering a heart attack on Thanksgiving. [The Hindenburg]
He served in the Navy’s aircraft carrier fleet and during World War II hunted German U-boats from blimps.
“It’s a really sad day for Lakehurst. He was an institution. He was the base’s biggest support and our link to the past,” Lakehurst commander Capt. L. Bret Gordon told the Asbury Park Press in Saturday’s editions. “He could regale you with stories for hours. I feel bad that young sailors aren’t going to have him around anymore.”
Iannacone spent 44 years with the Navy as a chief petty officer and civilian worker. In retirement, he remained active with the Navy’s Lakehurst Historical Society, where friends described him as a nurturing type.
“When all the school kids came out, John would be there to sign their autographs and take pictures with them,” said Carl Jablonski, president of the historical society told the Press.
Iannacone was a petty officer with a ground crew as the Hindenburg, an 804-foot-long German passenger airship, burst into flames on landing on May 6, 1937, killing 36. He helped save passengers by carrying them to safety.
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: