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"Hindenburg - Ship of Dreams"
by Marii Chernev
The German airship LZ-129 Hindenburg flies low over New York City on its way to Lakehurst, New Jersey while a curious student pilot and his instructor bring their Stearman trainer for a closer view. In the background, an American Airlines Ford Trimotor prepares to land at La Guardia.
Hindenburg over Manhattan
Germany's symbol of national pride, the Hindenburg epitomized the grace and elegance of airship travel and showcased Germany's dominance in lighter than air rigid airship construction. When the Hindenburg was built in 1936, the revived Zeppelin company was at the height of its success. The flights of the world famous LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin in 1929 and 1931, under the masterful leadership of Hugo Eckener, had demonstrated to the public that airship travel was a quicker and less expensive way to travel long distances than on ocean liners. The Hindenburg was 804 feet long (245 meters), had a maximum diameter of 135 feet (41 meters), and contained seven million cubic feet (200,000 cubic meters) of hydrogen in 16 cells. Four 1,050-horsepower (783-kilowatt) Daimler-Benz diesel engines provided a top speed of 82 miles per hour (132 kilometers per hour). The airship could hold more than 70 passengers in luxurious comfort and had a dining room, library, lounge with a grand piano, and large windows.
New York as seen from engine gondola on board Hindenburg
The Hindenburg's May, 1936 launch inaugurated the first scheduled air service across the North Atlantic between Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and Lakehurst, New Jersey. Its first trip to the United States took 60 hours, and the return trip took only a quick 50. In 1936, the Hindenburg carried more than 1,300 passengers and several thousand pounds of mail and cargo on its ten successful roundtrips between Germany and the United States. But that was soon forgotten. On 6 May, 1937, as the Hindenburg was preparing to land at Lakehurst, New Jersey, its hydrogen ignited and the airship exploded and burned, killing 35 of the 97 people on board and one member of the ground crew. Its destruction, seen by horrified spectators in New Jersey, marked the end of the commercial use of airships.
2002 Wings Publishing
