Basic facts about the D-LZ 129 Hindenburg Zeppelin
D-LZ 129: D-LZ = Deutsche Luftschiff Zeppelin which translates into German Airship Zeppelin. The number 129 refers to the design number, not the sequential number of ships built. The Graf Zeppelin was LZ 127. The next number LZ 128 was designed but never built.
Named after: Paul von Hindenburg, the recently deceased ex-President of Germany. Another name considered was the Hitler, but the Nazis had concerns about the potential negative association should the Zeppelin ever crash. So Hitler’s name was withdrawn in favor of naming the zeppelin the Hindenburg.
Owners & Operators: Deutsche Zeppelin Reiderei.
Manufacturer: Luftschiffbau Zeppelin.
Manufactured: 1932-1936.
Launched: On March 4, 1936 from Friedrichshafen, Germany.
Destroyed: On May 6, 1937 at Lakehurst, New Jersey at completion of 1st trans-Atlantic flight of the 1937 season.
Fact: The Hindenburg, along with her sister ship the D-LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin II, were the largest man-made objects ever to fly!
Length: 803.8 feet (almost 2-1/2 football fields long).
Diameter: 135.1 feet (13-1/2 stories tall).
Weight: 130,000 lbs
Gas Capacity: 7,062,100 cubic feet of hydrogen gas.
Piece of seared duralumin girder from the Hindenburg
Girders: Over 13 miles (21kms) of Duralumin girders were used to build the Hindenburg
Maximum Speed: 84.4 mph (135 km/hr).
Hindenburg's Deimler-Benz deisel engine with 10 foot long wooden blades
Propellers: Qty: Four ‘+ shaped’ propellers each with four 10′ long blades
$400 one way ticket for the Hindenburg dated August 16, 1937 for Frl. Elsi Hardwood traveling from Frankfurt to Lakehurst, NJ. This ticket is on auction at Ebay for $2,500.00.
Fact: The Hindenburg, flew for one full year in 1936 prior to its destruction in May of 1937.
Passenger Capacity in 1936: 62 passengers
Passenger Capacity in 1937: 72 passengers
Number of Passengers and Crew on Final Flight: 36 passengers, 61 crew (the flight was used as a training flight for crew who would work on other Zeppelins later that year hence the larger number of crew on board).
Hindenburg as seen from the hanger area May 6, 1937
Number of Dead: 13 passengers, 22 crew, 1 ground crew = 36 fatalities
There are many more facts that I could add here, but for now, this is a good start.
Best
Barry
I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. If your want travel to thailand pls visit my’s blog.
Thanks
mcclever
Coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!
Hi Kelly: Thanks for your ‘cool’ comment. I really appreciate it. Are you a student? If so, where do you go to school and what grade are you in? Are you doing a project on the Hindenburg or just looking for your own interest?
Have a great day.
Barry
I am looking for Hindenburg or Los Angeles girder fragments
and possibly a photo of the ZPG-2 141559
Hi Chris: Parts of the duralumin girders from the Hindenburg are not difficult to find but verification of their authenticity should always be considered. Ebay in one location to look for these kind of items. Currently Ebay has one auction listed that has a tiny shaving of duralumin from the Hindenburg.
Regarding the Los Angeles, in the fall of 1939, it was relagated to inventory by the Navy and disassembled. To this day, I have not come across any remnants of the Los Angeles on sale. But it is not to say they are not out there.
I myself have purchased duralumin from both the Akron and the Hindenburg. As well, I have a small piece of one of the propellers from the Hindenburg. I patiently waited over a two year period to pick up these pieces but I also let several larger pieces get away because I thought they were too expensive. Now I regret not jumping at those chances.
There are many auction sites that often put items like these on sale. Search Google for these items often and you will come across auctions when they go on sale.
Again, buyer beware. But have some faith too.
With regards to the ZPG-2 141559, the non-rigid Goodyear airship flown by the US Navy this is not my specialty Chris. However I found a site that might have a photo for you but I can’t be sure. If anyone can help Chris out here, please contact him at his email here or leave me a message and I wil contact him.
I hope this helps. http://www.naval-airships.org/zpg2.html.
Best
Barry
I am appreciative to any and all persons who could help me locate an item that I could have for my own to frame and share with others.
It is so hard to find anything as all of the collectors and wealthy entrepeneurs have already taken possession of any Hindenburg remains.
If anyone sees this and would be please help me please contact Cttexas@gmail.com
I have been looking for an item since the death of my wife and have come up empty handed.
Please!
chris
Hi Chris: It can be difficult finding artifacts from major news making events. The Hindenburg disaster is certainly one of them.
I personally have a piece of one of the wooden propellers from the Hindenburg, a small piece of duralumin and a small piece of one of the tail flags that I’ve collected over the past 5 years.
Saying that, I did not initially start out finding them. If you are looking for inexpensive, Hindenburg related memorabilia, start out by collecting ‘covers’ (envelopes from letters sent on the Hindenburg). I have three of these. What is interesting is that they don’t come from Hindenburg collectors. Instead they come from stamp collectors. The stamps on the covers have been collected for years and years and so they have been kept in very good shape by their previous owners. Generallly, the stamp collectors are more interested in their stamps than the historical significance of the covers. So that is why you can usually find these for a reasonable price.
For me, the ‘rubber stamped impressions’ showing dates and locations is far more important to me than the stamps. They tell me the exact dates and trips that the particular mail piece flew on. The Hindenburg was in service for one year (1936) prior to the explosion in 1937. It made 10 round trips between Germany and Lakehurst, NJ as well as 7 round trip between Rio de Janiero and Germany. It not only moved people and cargo, it also acted as an airmail carrier.
So these covers tell a lot. My first two were from the 6th round trip to NJ and the return trip from the 1st voyage to America. But later, I found and obtained a letter which flew on the original flight to America. It wasn’t until after that that I came across the other pieces mentioned earlier.
Chris, the best place to look is on Ebay or another auction site. I’ve come across china flown on the Hindenburg and buttons worn by the crew. The memorabilia is out there but you just never know when it is going to be auctioned off. Memorabilia directly related to the disaster is more rare, but with patience, you will come across it too (like I did) and go for it. Bottom line is Be Patient and enjoy the thrill of the chase.
Best
Barry
Go on ebay and search Hindenburg
Hey, thanks for all the info!!! I’m doing a report on the Hindenburg, and i got 6 of my ten important facts here! And it’s really interesting information, too. Keep writing more facts!
oh, and i forgot to ask- why did the hindenburg explode?
please write back!
Hi Lauren: Thanks for the nice notes. I hope this does help you on your report. What grade are you in?
Let me answer your question about what caused the Hindenburg to explode. There are several theories that still get debated today. Was it sabatage (a bomb perhaps), a lightning strike or static electricity? These are the three biggest theories.
BOMB: 1937 was just before the start of World War II and there were many enemies of Hitler and Nazi Germany both in and outside of Germany. The Nazis used the Hindenburg and its sister ship the Graf Zeppelin for propaganda purposes. They were very proud of these two ships and the superior engineering and safety record they had that if someone were to destroy the Hindenburg it would be very embarrassing for the Nazis. A bomb threat was printed in a newspaper before the Hindenburg left Germany. Threats were common during these pre-war days.
LIGHTNING STRIKE: May 6, 1937 was a rainy afternoon. Lightning had been seen in the area of Lakehurst, NJ. The Hindenburg was already several hours late for its scheduled arrival at Lakehurst due to headwinds it encountered while crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Germany. As it neared Lakehurst the weather conditions were not favorable and the captain decided to continue south down the coast of NJ until the weather cleared. Lakehurst personell radioed the Captain a short time later and told him that conditions had improved and he could make his way back to perform his landing.
STATIC ELECTRICITY: When the mooring ropes were dropped to the ground by the Hindenburg (as you can see in the films of the disaster and in the still photos too) they became wet as it continued to rain. Once the ropes touched the earth they grounded the aircraft. This made for an ideal condition for static electricity build up. The Hindenburg, although it had a duralimin structure inside its skin, it was lifted into the air by 15 massive bags of hydrogen gas. Hydrogen is very flammable but lighter than air, so this is why the structure could float. The bags were made out of a material called Gold Beater’s skin (the intestines of cows) and coated with a gelatin sealant on the inside). Still, the bags were apt to leak and the crew constantly was on repair duty.
At the time of the disaster, an orange flame was seen shooting straight up in front of the tail fin.
The investigations into the disaster were done by both the FBI and Germans intelligence agencies reviewed the disaster and both concluded that the most likely cause of the explosion was static electricity igniting leaking hydrogen. But the rumors about bombs and lightning strikes have always persisted as people were not satisfied with that explanation.
I believe that it was static electricity as well. Once the mooring ropes touched the ground and got wet, it made conditions for static electricity very likely. And it would have taken just one small leak of hydrogen to ignite to cause the chain reaction fire that resulted.
There is no concrete evidence to support a bomb theory as no igniting device was ever found. Lightning is always a possibility but no witnesses ever reported seeing or hearing a lightning strike.
So the best candidate to blame is still the one that the original investigators agreed on. Static electricity.
I hope this helps your paper.
Best
Barry
Lauren,
You need to put more facts on here!!!
This is a good website with a lot of good information but it would be better if you could put more on.
I am currently working on a project that is due today and I need some more facts.
Thanks
Ben
Hi Ben:
Your comment has me laughing here. What other facts do you need and perhaps I can help you with it.
Let me know.
Best
Barry
Where are your references, Barry?
Hi Amy: Thank you for writing. I post so many facts that I don’t often list my references but share them when needed. They come from books, experts, people, researchers and of course, the internet. Did you have a specific fact in mind that you need the reference for? Please let me know and I’ll be happy to share the info with you.
Best
Barry
Oh forgot 2 type this: PLS RESPOND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From Amy
No, i don’t have a specific fact. I’m a fifth grader writing a paper. I used this sourse and i like the facts.i want to visit more websites. i need bibliography.
@ Amy (and others)
Perhaps I could offer my website as a source for some additional information?
http://www.airships.net/hindenburg
Hi Dan: Thanks for commenting. I took a look at your site and it’s quite comprehensive. The information on the Hindenburg (in particular the flight schedule) was very helpful to me. I own several letters that were carried on the ship at various times and so it was good to see the full flight schedule to get a better idea on which flights the mail was carried.
Thanks again for writing and letting us know about your website.
Best
Barry
Thanks to anyone and everyone who has attempted to help me find pieces of the Hindenburg.
Although this has been a very very VERY strong desire of mine for 25 years I am afraid i have to give up the search as only the wealthy have accessibility and funds to purchase whatever is still remaining of this great ship.
My heart is broken
Why is it that only the wealthy and beautiful are the ones who recieve?
Thanks everyone …really!
Chris Thomas
CTtexas@gmail.com
Chris, I have a piece of duralumin 1in x 3in from the Hindenburg. It was given to me by my father who received it from my uncle who was present at the Hindenburg disaster. I have been trying to discover it’s value. Would you be interested in it once I have it appraised if it is not too expensive?
Hi Kathy: That sounds really exciting. I’m sure Chris would love to speak to you. I have forwarded your email to him so you can keep your ‘negotiations’ private. Thanks for considering Chris’ search.
Best
Barry