LZ 129 Hindenburg

"The Hindenburg" redirects here. For the film, see The Hindenburg (film); for other uses, see Hindenburg.

LZ 129 Hindenburg (Luftschiff Zeppelin #129) was a large German passenger carrying rigid airship which operated commercially from March 1936 until destroyed by fire in May 1937. Along with its sister-ship, LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin II, it was the largest flying machine by volume of any kind ever built. During the first transatlantic journey of its second season of service the Hindenburg went up in flames while landing at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in Manchester Township, New Jersey. Thirty-six people died in the accident, which was widely reported by film, photography, and radio media.

The Hindenburg was named after the late Paul von Hindenburg (1847-1934), President of Germany (1925–1934).

Design and development

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The LZ 129 was built by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin between 1931 and 1936 to a new, all-duralumin design. The man who headed the design team was Doctor Ludwig Dürr, who had headed the design of all Zeppelins except LZ-1 (on which he was a crew member), under the overall direction of Hugo Eckener, the head of the company. It was 245 m (804 ft) long and 41 m (135 ft) in diameter, longer than three Boeing 747s placed end-to-end, longer than four Goodyear Blimps end-to-end, and only 24 m (79 ft) shorter than the Titanic. It was originally equipped with cabins for 50 passengers and a crew complement of 40, though on the last flight there were an additional 21 crew members in training.

Though construction began in 1931, it was suddenly stopped when the Zeppelin Company went bankrupt. This led Eckener to make a deal with the Nazi Party. He needed money to build the airship, but in return he was forced to display the swastikas on the tail fins. Construction then resumed in 1935.

A rare surviving fire damaged 9" Duralumin cross brace from the frame of the "Hindenburg" salvaged in May 1937 from the crash site at NAS Lakehurst, NJ. (The Cooper Collections)

The duralumin frame was covered by cotton cloth varnished with iron oxide and cellulose acetate butyrate impregnated with aluminium powder. The aluminium was added to reflect both ultraviolet, which damaged the fabric, and infrared light, which caused heating of the gas. This was an innovation with the LZ-126 which was operated by the US Navy from 1924 on.

The LZ 129 was originally intended to be filled with helium, a gas which is heavier than hydrogen but which is not flammable. Most of the world's supply of helium comes from underground fields in the United States, but the United States had imposed a military embargo on helium against Germany. Eckener expected this ban to be lifted, and to save costs of the Helium, the design was modified to have double gas cells (an inner hydrogen cell protected by an outer helium cell). The ban remained, leading the Germans to modify the design of the airship to use only hydrogen as the lift gas, despite the fact that hydrogen, unlike helium, is extremely flammable. It contained 200,000 m³ (7,000,000 ft³) of gas in 16 bags or cells, with a useful lift of 1.099 MN (247,100 pounds).

The Germans had extensive experience with hydrogen as a lifting gas. Hydrogen-related fire accidents had never occurred on civilian Zeppelins, so the switch from helium to hydrogen did not cause much alarm. Hydrogen also gave the craft about 8% more lift capacity. Four reversible 890 kW (1,200 hp) Daimler-Benz diesel engines gave the airship a maximum speed of 135 km/h (84 mph).

Passenger accommodation

Zeppelin passenger lapel pins (The Cooper Collections)

To reduce drag, the passenger rooms were contained entirely within the hull, rather than in the gondola as on the Graf Zeppelin. The interior furnishings of the Hindenburg were designed by Professor Fritz August Breuhaus, whose design experience included Pullman coaches, ocean liners, and warships of the German Navy. The upper A Deck contained small passenger quarters in the middle flanked by large public rooms: a dining room to port as well as a lounge and writing room to starboard. Paintings on the walls of the dining room portrayed the Graf Zeppelin's trips to South America. A stylized world map covered the wall of the lounge. Long slanted windows ran the length of both decks. The passengers were expected to spend most of their time in the public areas rather than their cramped cabins.

The lower B Deck contained washrooms, a mess hall for the crew, and a smoking lounge. Recalled Harold G. Dick, an American representative from the Goodyear Zeppelin Corporation, "The only entrance to the smoking room, which was pressurized to prevent the admission of any leaking hydrogen, was via the bar, which had a swiveling air-lock door, and all departing passengers were scrutinized by the bar steward to make sure they were not carrying out a lighted cigarette or pipe."

The cost of a ticket from Germany to Lakehurst was US$400 (about US$5,900 in 2008 dollars), which was quite a considerable sum for the Depression era. Hindenburg passengers were generally affluent, including many leaders of industry.

Operational history

First year of service

Flag of the Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei GmbH 1935-37 (The Cooper Collections)

The "LZ 129 Hindenburg" was operated commercially by the Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei GmbH which was set up in March 1935, by the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin, the German Air Ministry, and Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

Cover carried on the D-LZ129 "Hindenburg" on the "Olympiafahrt 1936" (Berlin) (The Cooper Collections)

Cover carried on the Hindenburg during the Deutschlandfahrt (The Cooper Collections)

Propaganda leaflet dropped from the Hindenburg during the "Deutschlandfahrt" (The Cooper Collections)

After five years of on-and-off construction, the yet-unnamed LZ 129 was finally completed in early 1936 and made its first official flight on March 4. The airship's first "official" function, however, was not to be in commercial transatlantic passenger service for which it was designed and built, but instead as a vehicle of Nazi propaganda. Three days after the Hindenburg's first flight, German troops had occupied the Rheinland region abutting the borders with the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, and France, an area which the Treaty of Versailles had specified in 1920 to be de-militarized in order to provide a buffer between Germany and the four neighboring countries to the west of the Rhein River. In order to then "justify" this action, a plebiscite was quickly called by Hitler for March 29 for the purpose of asking the German people to reaffirm him as Reich Chancellor (Reichskanzler) and Führer, and "ratify" the Rheinland occupation which had been taken in violation of the Locarno Pact. The LZ 129 and the venerable Graf Zeppelin were designated to be a key part of the process.

For the four days prior to the balloting, German Propaganda Minister Dr. Joseph Goebbels demanded that the two airships were to fly "in tandem" over Germany on a so called "Hitler Re-election and Rheinland Referendum Flight" ("Deutschlandfahrt") taking off together from Friedrichshafen on the morning of March 26. It was on this day, the LZ 129 was named the Hindenburg. Wind conditions were not good for takeoff, but Captain Ernst Lehmann, determined to impress the politicians that were present on the field, rushed the takeoff and the ship rose in a majestic manner with full engine power. However, a gust of wind hit the ship and the lower tail fin hit the ground, damaging the rear end of the fin [1]. The Graf Zeppelin thus left alone on the propaganda mission while temporary repairs were made to the Hindenburg which then joined up with the smaller airship later that day. As millions of Germans watched from below, the two giants of the sky flew throughout Germany for the next four days and nights dropping propaganda leaflets, blaring martial music and slogans from large loudspeakers, and broadcasting election speeches form a makeshift radio studio on board the Hindenburg. Two days after the "election" (in which Hitler received a 99% "yes" vote), the Hindenburg finally left on its first commercial flight, sailing for Rio de Janeiro on March 31. The Hindenburg made its first flight to Lakehurst, New Jersey on May 6, 1936 - one year to the day it crashed. It arrived in America on May 9 and subsequently established a regular transatlantic passenger service.

During 1936, its first year in service, the airship flew 308,323 km (191,583 miles) with 2,798 passengers and 160 tons of freight and mail. It made a total of 17 round trips across the Atlantic Ocean; 10 trips to the U.S. and seven to Brazil. In July 1936, the Hindenburg also completed a record Atlantic double crossing in five days, 19 hours and 51 minutes. After defeating Joe Louis, the German boxer Max Schmeling returned home on the Hindenburg to a hero's welcome in Frankfurt. The Hindenburg's success encouraged the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin Company to plan the expansion of its airship fleet and transatlantic services.

During its first year of service, the airship had a special aluminium Blüthner grand piano placed on board in the music salon. It was the first piano ever placed in flight and helped host the first radio broadcast "air concert." The piano was removed after the first year to save weight.

During the winter of 1936–37, several changes were made. The greater lift capacity allowed 10 passenger cabins to be added, nine with two beds and one with four beds, increasing the total passenger capacity to 72. In addition, "gutters" were installed to collect rain for use as water ballast.

Final flight

Main article: Hindenburg disaster

The first of ten scheduled round trips between Europe and the United States to be made by the "Hindenburg" in the 1937 season departed Frankfurt for Lakehurst on the evening of 3 May, and except for strong headwinds which slowed the passage the crossing was otherwise uneventful.

Around 7:00 p.m. local time on 6 May, at an altitude of 650 feet (200 m), the Hindenburg approached the Lakehurst Naval Air Station and prepared to land. Twenty-five minutes later, the airship caught fire and quickly became engulfed in flames. The location of the initial fire, the source of ignition, and the initial source of fuel remain subjects of debate. Of the 36 passengers and 61 crew, 13 passengers and 22 crew died. Also killed was one member of the ground crew

The incident is widely remembered as one of the most dramatic accidents of modern time. The cause of the accident has never been determined, although many theories, some highly controversial, have been proposed.

Popular culture

• Actual footage of the Hindenburg is shown in the 1937 Charlie Chan film Charlie Chan at The Olympics, recently released on DVD by 20th Century Fox films. The movie depicts Chan onboard for a flight across the Atlantic, and mentions nothing concerning the disaster.

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: 40 to 61
• Capacity: 50-72 passengers

Performance

See also

• Harold G. Dick was an American engineer who flew on most of the Hindenburg flights.
• The Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen displays a reconstruction of a 33 m section of the Hindenburg.

References

Bibliography

• Archbold, Rick. Hindenburg: An Illustrated History. Toronto: Viking Studio/Madison Press, 1994. ISBN 0-670-85225-2.
• Birchall, Frederick. "100,000 Hail Hitler; U.S. Athletes Avoid Nazi Salute to Him". The New York Times, 1 August 1936, p. 1.
• Botting, Douglas. Dr. Eckener's Dream Machine: The Great Zeppelin and the Dawn of Air Travel. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 2001. ISBN 0-80506-458-3.
• Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederi. Airship Voyages Made Easy (16 page booklet for "Hindenburg" passengers). Luftschiffbau Zeppelin G.m.b.H., Friedrichshafen, Germany, 1937.
• Dick, Harold G. and Robinson, Douglas H. The Golden Age of the Great Passenger Airships Graf Zeppelin & Hindenburg. Washington, D.C. and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1985. ISBN 1-56098-219-5.
• Duggan, John. LZ 129 "Hindenburg": The Complete Story. Ickenham, UK: Zeppelin Study Group, 2002. ISBN 0-9514114-8-9.
• Hoehling, A.A. Who Destroyed The Hindenburg? Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1962. ISBN 0-44508-347-6.
• Lehmann, Ernst. Zeppelin: The Story of Lighter-than-air Craft. London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1937.
• Majoor, Mireille. Inside the Hindenburg. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2000. ISBN 0-316-123866-2.
• Mooney, Michael Macdonald. The Hindenburg. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1972. ISBN 0-396-06502-3.
• National Geographic. Hindenburg's Fiery Secret (DVD). Washington, DC: National Geographic Video, 2000.

External links

Video

• YouTube video: Footage of the Hindenburg over New York City, circa 1936

Articles

• Hindenburg: Sky Cruise. Illustrated account of a flight on the Hindenburg - with maiden voyage and final flight passenger lists
• Page at Great Zeppelins website, with various pictures
• Harold G. Dick Airship Collection (Harold G. Dick was an American engineer who flew on most Hindenburg flights.)
• ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH & Co KG. The company is still in the airship business today.