Alger Herman Dresel Papers

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of approximately 0.58 cubic feet of the papers of Alger Herman Dresel including personal correspondence; U.S. Navy records and correspondence including information relating to the ZR-3 Los Angeles and extensive records relating to the ZRS-5 Macon; a certificate naming Dresel as a member of the National Aeronautic Association; two log books covering the dates 1929-1935, including entries related to the ZR-3 Los Angeles, ZRS-4 Akron, and ZRS-5 Macon and encompassing Dresel's entire career in lighter-than-air craft; a small notebook with extensive technical and operations information on the ZRS-4 Akron and ZRS-5 Macon; Dresel's Naval Aviator Certificate (no. 3665) in a navy blue leatherette folder; and a scrapbook containing Dresel's Officer's Record of Fitness covering his entire career with the U.S. Navy.

Arrangement

Collection is arranged by type of material.

Biographical / Historical

Alger Herman Dresel was born in 1889 in Annapolis, Maryland. Dresel was appointed to the United States Naval Academy by then President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905 at the age of 16. After graduation, Dresel served aboard the USS Wyoming until 1916, including taking part in the United States occupation of the Mexican port of Veracruz in 1914. Dresel then served on destroyers until 1920. During World War I, Dresel commanded the USS Paulding which was based in Queenstown, Ireland and assigned to escort envoys and protect them from attack by German U-boats. In 1920, Dresel was assigned to the Bureau of Navigation for four years and subsequently commanded the USS Borie and the USS Villalobos. In 1929, Dresel underwent instruction for flying ligther-than-air craft at the NAS Lakehurst in New Jersey and in 1930 he was assigned to the ZR-3 Los Angeles which, under Dresel's command, took part in maneuvers off the coast of Panama in 1931. From 1932-1933, Dresel was placed in command of the ZRS-4 Akron after which he was assigned to command the ZRS-5 Macon until 1934. Subsequently, Dresel became commanding officer at NAS Moffett Field in California where he served for five years, was executive officer of the USS Raleigh for a year, commanded a destroyer squadron in the Pacific, and entered the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island where he graduated in the Class of 1937. From 1938 until he was forced to retire from the Navy due to physical disability in the early 1940s, Dresel served on the staff of the Naval War College. Dresel died in March 1953.