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 So Hitler’s name was withdrawn in favor of naming the zeppelin the Hindenburg.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 near the hanger 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.
UPDATE: Feb 10, 2010: For more information on the Hindenburg and other great airships, visit Dan Grossman’s website at http://www.airships.net/hindenburg.
Best
Barry
A Little Touch of History 
