75 Years Since The Hindenburg Disaster

75 Years Since the Hindenburg Disaster - In Focus - The Atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/05/75-years-since-the-hindenbu...
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75 Years Since the Hindenburg Disaster

MAY 8, 2012 | 279
Last Sunday, May 6, marked the 75th anniversary of the 1937 Hindenburg disaster. The massive German
airship caught fire while attempting to land near Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 people aboard, plus one
ground crew member. Of the 97 passengers and crew members on board, 62 managed to survive. The
horrifying incident was captured by reporters and photographers and replayed on radio broadcasts, in
newsprint, and on newsreels. News of the disaster led to a public loss of confidence in airship travel, ending
an era. The 245 m (803 f) Hindenburg used flammable hydrogen for lift, which incinerated the airship in a
massive fireball, but the actual cause of the initial fire remains unknown. Gathered here are images of the
Hindenburg's first successful year of transatlantic travel, and of its tragic ending 75 years ago. (Also, be sure
to see Recovered Letters Reveal the Lost History of the Hindenburg on Atlantic Video.) [34
photos]
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The German zeppelin Hindenburg flies over Manhattan on May 6, 1937. A few hours later, the ship burst into flames in an attempt to land at
Lakehurst, New Jersey, (AP Photo)
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2 Finishing touches are applied to the A/S Hindenburg in the huge German construction hangar at Friedrichshafen. Workmen, dwarfed in
comparison with the ship's huge tail surfaces, are chemically treating the fabric covering the huge hull.
(San Diego Air & Space Museum) #
3 The steel skeleton of "LZ 129", the new German airship, under construction in Friedrichshafen. The airship would later be named after
the late Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, former President of Germany. (Deutsches Bundesarchiv/German Federal Archive) #
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4 The Hindenburg dumps water to ensure a smoother landing in Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 9, 1936. The airship made 17 round trips
across the Atlantic Ocean in 1936, transporting 2,600 passengers in comfort at speeds up to 135 km/h (85 mph). The Zeppelin Company
began constructing the Hindenburg in 1931, several years before Adolf Hitler's appointment as German Chancellor. For the 14 months it
operated, the airship flew under the newly-changed German national flag, the swastika flag of the Nazi Party. (AP Photo) #
5 Spectators and ground crew surround the gondola of the Hindenburg as the lighter-than-air ship prepares to depart the U.S. Naval
Station at Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 11, 1936, on a return trip to Germany. (AP Photo) #
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6 A color photograph of the dining room aboard the Hindenburg. (Deutsches Bundesarchiv/German Federal Archive) #
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7 Passengers in the dining room of the Hindenburg, in April of 1936. (OFF/AFP/Getty Images) #
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8 The Hindenburg flies over the Boston Common in Boston, Massachusetts in 1936. Another small plane can also be seen at top right.
(Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection) #
9 A U.S. Coast Guard plane escorts the Hindenburg to a landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, on its inaugural flight between Freidrichshafen
and Lakehurst in 1936. (US Coast Guard) #
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10 The giant German zeppelin Hindenburg, in Lakehurst, New Jersey, in May of 1936. The Olympic rings on the side were promoting the
1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. (OFF/AFP/Getty Images) #
11 The Hindenburg trundles into the U.S. Navy hangar, its nose hooked to the mobile mooring tower, at Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 9,
1936. The rigid airship had just set a record for its first north Atlantic crossing, the first leg of ten scheduled round trips between
Germany and America. (AP Photo) #
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12 The German-built zeppelin Hindenburg is shown from behind, with the Swastika symbol on its tail wing, as the dirigible is partially
enclosed by its hangar at the U.S. Navy Air Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey, May 9, 1936. (AP Photo) #
13 The Hindenburg, above ground crew at the U.S. Navy Air Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey.
(Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection) #
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14 The Hindenburg floats past the Empire State Building over Manhattan on August 8, 1936, en route to Lakehurst, New Jersey, from
Germany. (AP Photo) #
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15 A modern, electrically equipped kitchen aboard the Hindenburg provided for the passengers and crew, seen in this undated photograph.
(AP Photo) #
16 Interior of the lounge aboard the Hindenburg, where passenger windows could be opened. (Nationaal Archief/Spaarnestad Photo) #
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17 The Hindenburg floats over Manhattan Island in New York City on May 6, 1937, just hours from disaster in nearby New Jersey.
(AP Photo) #
18 The German dirigible Hindenburg, just before it crashed before landing at the U.S. Naval Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 6,
1937. (AP Photo) #
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19 At approximately 7:25 p.m. local time, the German zeppelin Hindenburg burst into flames as it nosed toward the mooring post at the
Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 6, 1937. The airship was still some 200 feet above the ground.
(AP Photo/Murray Becker) #
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20 The Hindenburg quickly went up in flames -- less than a minute passed between the first signs of trouble and complete disaster. This
image captures a moment between the second and third explosions before the airship hit the ground. (AP Photo) #
21 As the lifting Hydrogen gas burned and escaped from the rear of the Hindenburg, the tail dropped to the ground, sending a burst of
flame punching through the nose. Ground crew below scatter to flee the inferno. (AP Photo) #
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22 A portion of newsreel coverage as the front of the flaming Hindenburg crashes to the ground, with passengers and crew running for their
lives. Full movie here. (Archive.org/Prelinger Archives/Pathé) #
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23 A survivor flees the collapsing structure of the airship Hindenburg. (Note, the hand-retouching in this photo came from the original)
(AP Photo) #
24 The wreckage of the Hindenburg in Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 6, 1937. (AP Photo/Murray Becker) #
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25 Major Hans Hugo Witt of the German Luftwaffe, who was severely burned in the Hindenburg disaster, is seen as he is transferred from
Paul Kimball Hospital in Lakewood, New Jersey, to another area hospital, on May 7, 1937. (AP Photo) #
26 An unidentified woman survivor is led from the scene of the Hindenburg disaster at the U.S. Naval Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey, on
May 6, 1937. (AP Photo/Murray Becker) #
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27 Adolf Fisher, an injured mechanic from the German airship Hindenburg, is transferred from Paul Kimball Hospital in Lakewood, New
Jersey, to an ambulance going to another area hospital, on May 7, 1937. (AP Photo) #
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28 Members of the U.S. Navy Board of Inquiry inspect the wreckage of the German zeppelin Hindenburg on the field in New Jersey, on May
8, 1937. (AP Photo) #
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29 Customs officers search through baggage items salvaged in the Hindenburg explosion in Lakehurst, New Jersey, May 6, 1937.
(AP Photo) #
30 Two men inspect the twisted metal framework of the Hindenburg in New Jersey in May of 1937. (AP Photo) #
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31 In New York City, funeral services for the 28 Germans who lost their lives in the Hindenburg disaster are held on the Hamburg-American
pier, on May 11, 1937. About 10,000 members of German organizations lined the pier. (AP Photo/Anthony Camerano) #
32 German soldiers give the salute as they stand beside the casket of Capt. Ernest A. Lehmann, former commander of the zeppelin
Hindenburg, during funeral services held on the Hamburg-American pier in New York City, on May 11, 1937. The swastika-draped
caskets were placed on board the SS Hamburg for their return to Europe. (AP Photo/Anthony Camerano) #
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33 Surviving members of the crew aboard the ill-fated German zeppelin Hindenburg are photographed at the Naval Air station in Lakehurst,
New Jersey, on May 7, 1937. Rudolph Sauter, chief engineer, is at center wearing white cap; behind him is Heinrich Kubis, a steward;
Heinrich Bauer, watch officer, is third from right wearing black cap; and 13-year-old Werner Franz, cabin boy, is center front row.
Several members of the airship's crew are wearing U.S. Marine summer clothing furnished them to replace clothing burned from many
of their bodies as they escaped from the flaming dirigible. (AP Photo) #
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34 An aerial view of the wreckage of the Hindenburg airship near the hangar at the Naval Air station in Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 7,
1937. (AP Photo/Murray Becker) #
RELATED LINKS AND INFORMATION

The Dead Dream of the Dirigible - The Atlantic, may 4, 2012
Airships: The Hindenburg - Airships.net
Hindenburg disaster - Wikipedia entry
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me3tv •
My cousin has a small country museum. he was in the navy. his buddy was in the
navy. his buddy was there for this event. He got a souvenir from the crash afterward.
(he was one of the line handlers at Lakehurst). the souvenir is the main navigation
compass from the Hindenburg. Wow, huh? it was confirmed independently around
1994 when a German friend of mine visited the area and studied the manufacturers
stamps - interpreting them for my cousin. This German friend had an uncle who flew
in the Hindenburg and transferred to the Graf Zeppelin LZ130 some months prior to
the disaster. He was apparently one of the engineers or THE engineer. His uncle had
talked often of the great zeppelins and from the markings on the compass he verified
the artifact -(if it was needed - for the sailor who was my cousin's friend was a
hometown guy that everybody knew had been there). So the compass still exists -
and locals who come to view the small country museum sometimes get a chance to
actually SEE this artifact from the Hindenburg.
1
RAL •
Ironically Hugo Eckener ,the president of the Zeppelin company, was aboard that trip
on his way over to negotiate with the Roosevelt administration to purchase helium.
The U.S. had most of the helium at that time, and the Hindenburg was designed to
use it even though it had less lifting properties.
KevinFitzz •
We miss our friend, Fred Hinden(Burg) as we liked to call him from time to time. He
was such a good friend and he's been dead about a dozen years now. I told the
bastard I was going first and he jumped the gun. My wife mailed me this article as a
matter of fact, lol. I miss him too, honey.
Adrian Fitzpatrick •
The history of German organizations in the U.S. have been forgotten. There was a
large political party called the German Bund and it had offices, and members, in all
the states at that time.
4
KevinFitzz •
They also had The American Nazi Party with sects of it still around today, I am
quite sure.
jaxtom •
Amazing how prevalent the Nazi party was in NYC! Great pictures.
7
Ontherightintampa •
The built-in danger of using hydrogen rather than helium made this whole episode in
history makes me wonder about the engineering acceptance - YES - I realize that an
airship of helium would (of necessity) be ALMOST impossible to be made airworthy.
What I see is GERMAN ENGINEERING of the day isa willingness to take such a
chance - demonstrating that they had leaned to overconfidence in their ability to
control known science.
Was this mindset a precursursor to the country's belief that HITLER could do
ANYTHING?
24 of 25 15/09/2013 22:27
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75 Years Since the Hindenburg Disaster - In Focus - The Atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/05/75-years-since-the-hindenbu...

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PO L IT IC S B U SIN ES S T EC H EN T ER TAIN M EN T H E ALT H ED U C AT IO N SEX ES N AT IO N AL G LO B AL C H IN A VID EO M AG AZIN E

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