America then started constructing the , designed by the Bureau of Aeronautics and based on the Zeppelin L 49. Assembled in Hangar No. 1 and first flown on 4 September 1923 at Lakehurst, New Jersey, it was the first airship to be inflated with the noble gas helium, which was then so scarce that the "Shenandoah" contained most of the world's supply. A second airship, , was built by the Zeppelin company as compensation for the airships that should have been handed over as war reparations according to the terms of the Versailles Treaty but had been sabotaged by their crews. This construction order saved the Zeppelin works from the threat of closure. The success of the "Los Angeles", which was flown successfully for eight years, encouraged the U.S. Navy to invest in its own, larger airships. When the "Los Angeles" was delivered, the two airships had to share the limited supply of helium, and thus alternated operating and overhauls.