4 April 1942 April 4, 2024AviationAirship, Blimp, Ernest DeWitt Cody, Halsey-Doolittle Raid of 18 April 1942, L-8, Lighter-Than-Air, Non-Rigid Airship, USS Hornet (CV-8)Bryan Swopes 4 April 1942: U.S. Navy non-rigid airship L-8 delivers spare parts for Doolittle’s B-25 bombers to USS Hornet (CV-8), Somewhere in the Pacific. L-8 was the former Goodyear commercial blimp, Ranger. The pilot was Lieutenant Ernest DeWitt Cody, U.S.N. (U.S. Navy)