The LZ 129 Hindenburg was one of the largest aircraft that ever existed. Built for speed, it travelled a regular transatlantic route between Germany and the United States between 1936 and 1937. It made many successful flights, but tragically, it was destroyed in the now legendary Hindenburg Disaster of 1938 that spelt the end of the first airship age. Here are some top facts about the airship and the disaster.
1. The aircraft was simply ginormous
Demonstrated by this diagram, you can see that the grand airship dwarfed both contemporary and modern aircraft. It was one of the biggest moving manmade objects on the planet when it was launched. To put it further into perspective, the Hindenburg (at 245 meters) was only slightly smaller than the Titanic (at 269 meters).
2) It was the first airship to provide Transatlantic crossings.
In May 1936, the Hindenburg began its regular transatlantic service between Germany and the United States. It carried up to fifty passengers in comfort and took two and a half days. This was far faster than an ocean liner that usually took much longer to make an Atlantic voyage. Some slower ships could do the same journey in ten days!
Large quantities of mail were also transported by the Hindenburg due to its speed and payload capability.
The airship was the way to travel by the air if you enjoyed comfort. A transatlantic flight in a contemporary airplane was not at all a pleasant experience. The passengers on Hindenburg’s maiden voyage to the USA included journalists, reporters and celebrities. You can read an account of reporter Webb Miller who was a passenger on this first voyage here.
3) The Hindenburg had a sister ship
The Graf Zeppelin II was almost identical to the Hindenburg and was completed in September 1938, just over a year after the Hindenburg was destroyed.
Surprisingly, this airship also used Hydrogen for lift due to a ban on the export of Helium that was produced in the United States. For this reason, the Graf Zeppelin II never carried passengers. The huge airship, its hanger and the empty Hindenburg hanger in Frankfurt, were all broken up in 1940 to aid Germany's war effort.
4) The Hindenburg Disaster was probably caused by static electricity
One of the main theories about why the Hindenburg burst into flames on the evening of the 6th May 1937 surrounds the idea that a static charge ignited leaking hydrogen.
Before coming in to dock, the ship had passed through a charged weather front. When damp mooring lines were dropped from the ship (which were attached to the metal frame, a difference in charge between the frame and airship's skin resulted in a spark. This ignited leaking hydrogen and the huge zeppelin set ablaze.
5) Most of the people aboard survived
Remarkably, of the 97 people on board, there were 35 fatalities. Although tragic, it's really quite incredible anyone survived the towering inferno. Many people did so by jumping out of the windows close to the ground. Unlike gasoline or wood fires, Hydrogen is far more buoyant as a gas which means that it is more survivable if you are below it.
The Hindenburg disaster spelt the end of rigid airships as, quite understandably, public faith in the technology was severely affected. What probably emphasised this feeling was that the whole event was captured on film for the world to see. You can watch this here if you'd like to, although viewer discretion is advised (it's quite drematic).
So, will we see a return of airships in the future? Maybe, although they'll almost certainly not be filled with hydrogen! One day, when memories of the Hindenburg fade and airships have proved themselves once again with new 21st century technology, perhaps there will be a second age of the airship where people once again travel aboard flying ocean liners.
Article by James Whomsley
Editor of FliteTest.com
www.youtube.com/projectairaviation
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