On August 16, 1942, two men set out on what was supposed to be a regular mission. Early that morning, the blimp L-8 took off from San Francisco Bay. The goal was simply to patrol the waters off the coast of California. An hour and a half later, the crew spotted a possible oil slick and wanted to look into it. That was the last message ever received from the blimp.
Later that morning, fishermen and beachgoers saw the ship fly in from the ocean. Eventually, it made contact with a cliff side, damaging the engine and propellers. The damage proved too much to sustain flight; it began to sag in the middle and descend. Finally it crashed.
The crew members hadn't used the life rafts or rescue gear on board. They were not trapped anywhere on board the blimp and left the doors to the cabin open. To this day, it remains an unsolved mystery.
