The Hindenburg Disaster: End of the Transatlantic Airships
The Hindenburg disaster occurred on 6 May 1937 when the German Zeppelin airship LZ 129 Hindenburg attempted to land at Lakehurst, New Jersey, but burst into flames. The airship's gas cells were filled with highly flammable hydrogen gas, and the Hindenburg crashed to the ground in just 32 seconds. 35 people on board and one member of the ground crew died in the disaster; there were 62 survivors. Although the cause was never determined, the tragedy and the fact that it had been captured on film, which was shown in cinemas worldwide, ended the use of hydrogen airships to carry paying passengers.
The LZ 129
With the success of the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin airship, which provided a passenger service between Europe and the Americas from 1928, the Zeppelin company began to design an even bigger airship, the LZ 129. Constructed at Zeppelin's headquarters in Friedrichshafen, Germany, from 1931 to 1935, the new craft became the property of a new company, the Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei (DZR), which had involvement from both the airline Lufthansa and funding from the German state (which was controlled by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party from 1933). LZ 129 made its maiden flight on 4 March 1936. The new name Hindenburg, in honour of the late president of Germany, Paul von Hindenburg (1847-1934), was soon emblazoned on the side of the hull in large red Gothic script. The Hindenburg's first Atlantic crossing began on 31 March 1936, flying from Friedrichshafen to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The first flight to New York was made from 6 May and took just 61.5 hours. The Hindenburg would make nine more flights to New York and six more to Rio before the year was out.
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⇒ The Hindenburg Disaster: End of the Transatlantic Airships
