The Hindenburg Disaster
by Marci RanzerThe LZ 129 Hindenburg was Nazi Germany’s prided Zeppelin that burst into flames on May 6, 1937. The Hindenburg Zeppelin was destroyed upon its landing at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. Unfortunately, 35 people, both passengers and crew, of the 97 on board the airship Hindenburg were killed.
Germany’s Hindenburg was the largest dirigible ever built. The aircraft was 804 feet long and 135 feet tall. It had a gas capacity of 7,062,100 cubic feet and was powered by four 1,100 horsepower diesel engines. The Zeppelin was kept aloft by hydrogen filled bags in the superstructure.
The airship Hindenburg was named after Paul von Hindenburg, the President of Germany. It was designed and constructed under the supervision of Germany’s airship authority, Dr. Hugo Eckener. Eckener hoped, in this ship, to establish a regular passenger service across the North Atlantic. The Hindenburg Zepplin made dirigible history with its regular transatlantic flights. There were 10 flights in 1936 alone. The aviation world was so confident in the future of long distance passenger travel by airship that atop New York’s Empire State Building, plans to install moorings were established.
The Hindenburg was famous for its massive size, interior lavishness and splendor. There were two decks that stretched across the entire width of the aircraft. These decks included such comforts as a promenade, lounges and a smoking room. The cabins contained two berths and a washbasin.
On the morning of May 6, the Hindenburg cruised triumphantly over Manhattan on its first transatlantic journey of 1937. The trip from Frankfurt Germany had taken the travelers an unheard of 60 hours. As the airship Hindenburg approached the airfield in Lakehurst, New Jersey and dropped its mooring lines ready for landing, it hovered at about 300 feet. Then the disaster that shook the world happened. The airship Hindenburg, the largest airship in the world, erupted in an explosive fireball. Passengers jumped from the gondola as the burning airship plummeted to the ground. Seamen from the nearby naval base raced to the rescue.
The Hindenburg disaster demonstrated the power of two fairly recent creations, radio and newsreels. The landing and subsequent Hindenburg crash was reported live by Herbert Morrison. Morrison was the first to account a coast-to-coast live radio broadcast of the Hindenburg explosion. Morrison’s legendary phrase “oh the humanity” became forever associated with the events of the Hindenburg disaster. Also, film of the Hindenburg disaster was shown in the movie theaters.
Excerpts from the radio broadcast of the Hindenburg disaster:
“It burst into flames. Get out of the way. Get this Charlie. Get this Charlie. There's fire and it’s rising. It’s rising terrible. Oh my, get out of the way please. It's burning and bursting into flames and it's holding on the mooring beds. Lord . . . approached. This is terrible. This is the worst that could happen . . .”
“And it's very much crazy. God . . . not quite to the mooring mast. Oh the humanity. And all the passengers . . .”
It is still not clear if the explosion of the Hindenburg was an accident or sabotage. President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States called for government agencies to cooperate in the investigation of the potential causes of the Hindenburg crash. There has and still is much speculation as to what caused the Hindenburg explosion. Some possibilities are sabotage, mechanical failure, hydrogen explosions and lightning. All of these theories have been investigated yet none have been deemed the official cause of the destruction.
Days after the explosion, Hitler banned the flight of all hydrogen filled airships. Although German Zeppelins had been safe and doing well up until the Hindenburg explosion; the disaster signaled the end of passenger travel by dirigible. Steady improvements in airplanes had already cut down on dirigible travel and airships like the Hindenburg would soon become just a footnote in aviation history.
