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115-445: Hugo Eckener (10 August 1868 – 14 August 1954) was the manager of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin during the inter-war years, and also the commander of the famous Graf Zeppelin for most of its record-setting flights, including the first airship flight around the world, making him the most successful airship commander in history. He was also responsible for the construction of the most successful type of airships of all time. An anti-Nazi who

230-512: A distress call ; when this was received, and nothing else was heard from the airship, many believed it was lost. After the ship arrived safely, there was some annoyance from the Lakehurst personnel that the Zeppelin had not answered repeated calls for its position and estimated arrival time. Eckener explained that because the airship was forced to fly at a reduced speed due to the damaged fin,

345-640: A bracing wire, causing it to snap and rip open an adjacent gas cell. After the destruction of the Hindenburg , the nearly-completed LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin II was redesigned as a helium-filled ship, although, owing to geo-political considerations, the American helium was not available. Thus the ship never began commercial service. However, under the command of Captain Albert Sammt, who had previously survived

460-500: A character in the 2018 novel 'Beneath Gray Skies', by Hugh Ashton. Luftschiffbau Zeppelin The company was founded by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in 1908 as a formal entity to continue advancing his pioneering research into rigid airships. Luftschiffbau Zeppelin became the leading manufacturer in the field of large lighter-than-air vehicles; its products were used in both military and civilian capacities. The firm founded DELAG ,

575-536: A correspondent for the Frankfurter Zeitung in 1905 and 1906, whilst writing a book on the social effects of capitalism . Asked to cover the first flights of the Zeppelins LZ 1 and LZ 2 , Eckener was critical of both airships' marginal performances, but praised Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin 's dedication to his cause. Because several scientists and engineers had criticized his airship plans,

690-531: A cost of $ 1 million (equivalent to $ 22 million in 2018 ). Brazil charged the DZR $ 2000 ($ 44,000 ) per landing, and had agreed that German airships would land there 20 times per year, to pay off the cost. The hangar was constructed in Germany and the parts were transported and assembled on site. It was finished in late 1936, and was used four times by Graf Zeppelin and five by Hindenburg . It now houses units of

805-635: A design organisation, and approved new construction regulations for airships. In November 1995, final assembly of the first airship prototype commenced, it was promoted as being the first rigid airship to be produced by the firm since the Second World War . In July 1996, the under-construction prototype of the Zeppelin NT 07 was presented to the public and the media. In September 1997, the prototype performed its maiden flight at Friedrichshafen; piloted by US test pilot Scott Danneker, it flew for

920-663: A doctorate "magna cum laude" in what today might be deemed experimental psychology at Leipzig University . Eckener then began his military service in the Infantry Regiment 86 in Flensburg. Eckener's early career was as a journalist and editor; by August 1893 he was working for the Flensburger Nachrichten ; in October 1897 he married Johanna, daughter of the publisher family Maaß. He later became

1035-622: A former German airship shed that had been removed from Jüterbog and rebuilt at Kasumigaura Naval Air Station , Graf Zeppelin continued across the Pacific to California. Eckener delayed crossing the coast at San Francisco's Golden Gate so as to come in near sunset for aesthetic effect. The ship landed at Mines Field in Los Angeles, completing the first ever nonstop flight across the Pacific Ocean. The takeoff from Los Angeles

1150-424: A gondola structure in the forward part of the airship's ventral surface, with the flight deck well forward in a "chin" position. The gondola was 30 metres (98 ft) long and 6 metres (20 ft) wide; its streamlined design reflected contemporary aesthetics, minimised overall height, and reduced drag . Behind the flight deck was the map room, with two large hatches to allow the command crew to communicate with

1265-698: A halt to Zeppelin's plans for airship development, and the company temporarily resorted to the manufacture of aluminium cooking utensils. Between the mid 1920s and 1940, the company worked closely with the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company to manufacture a pair of Zeppelins in the United States ; to cement this relationship, a joint venture company, the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation , was created to handle such activities. The first airship to be produced under this initiative,

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1380-489: A large new conference centre after him. Eckener wrote or contributed to 24 publications, including two books in English: Eckener features as a character in the 2004 short story "The Eckener Alternative" by James L. Cambias, the 2012 novel Flight from Berlin by David John, and in the novels Vango: Between Sky and Earth (2010) and "A Prince Without Kingdom" (2011) by Timothée de Fombelle. Eckener also appears as

1495-544: A leading role in the field of large lighter-than-air vehicles, establishing numerous firsts and innovations over the following decades. One such innovation was the founding of DELAG in 1909, the world's first airline to use an aircraft in revenue service. At the time, orders from the German Army were not immediately forthcoming, thus Alfred Colsman, Zeppelin Luftschiffbau's business manager, suggested harnessing

1610-464: A loop antenna to determine the airship's bearing from any two land radio stations or ships with known positions. During the first transatlantic flight in 1928, the radio room sent 484 private telegrams and 160 press telegrams. The LZ 127 was christened Graf Zeppelin by Countess Brandenstein-Zeppelin on 8 July 1928, after her father Ferdinand von Zeppelin, the founder of the company, on the 90th anniversary of his birth. During most of its career, it

1725-589: A master airship captain, Eckener used the Graf Zeppelin to establish the Zeppelin as a symbol of German pride and engineering. After these flights the public treated Eckener as a national hero. During the early 1930s, Eckener was one of the most well-known and respected figures in Weimar Republic Germany. In the 1932 presidential election Eckener was a potential unity candidate against Adolf Hitler, encouraged to campaign by leaders of both

1840-524: A new civil airship. Public subscription raised 2.5 million  ℛ︁ℳ︁ (the equivalent of US$ 600,000 at the time, or $ 11 million in 2018 dollars ), and the government granted over 1 million ℛ︁ℳ︁ ($ 4 million). The LZ 127 was designed by Ludwig Dürr as a "stretched" version of the zeppelin LZ 126 rechristened the USS Los Angeles ). It was intended from

1955-416: A one-kilowatt vacuum tube transmitter (about 140 W antenna power) to send telegrams over the low frequency (500–3,000 m) bands. A 70 W antenna power emergency transmitter carried telegraph and radio telephone signals over 300–1,300 m wavelength bands. The main aerial consisted of two lead -weighted 120-metre (390 ft)-long wires deployed by electric motor or hand crank; the emergency aerial

2070-528: A serious injury on any of the more than 1 million air miles that the rigid airships flew, until the Hindenburg disaster of 1937. Eckener was in Graz, Austria when he heard news of the Hindenburg disaster on 6 May 1937. In the official inquiry he concluded that a static spark ignited leaking hydrogen in the aft section of the ship. The leak would have been caused by a sharp turn, which he believed overstrained

2185-605: A soul. You have only to fly in it to know that it's a living, vibrant, sensitive and magnificent thing. Graf Zeppelin was greeted by large crowds on most of its early voyages. There were 100,000 at Moscow and possibly 250,000 at Tokyo to see it. At Stockholm, spectators launched firework rockets around it, and on the return flight from Moscow it was punctured by rifle shots near the Soviet Union-Lithuania border. On one visit to Rio de Janeiro people released hundreds of small toy petrol-burning hot air balloons near

2300-400: A successful circumnavigation of the globe. Luftschiffbau Zeppelin was keen to continue advancing the capabilities of its airships and begun design work on an even larger airship during the late 1920s. Perhaps the single most famous airship was the LZ 129 Hindenburg , the first of two airships of the Hindenburg class . It was a large commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship , being

2415-581: A total of 3,140 kilometres (1,950 mi; 1,700 nmi) in 34 hours and 30 minutes. On the fifth flight, Eckener caused a minor controversy by flying close to Huis Doorn in the Netherlands, which some interpreted as a gesture of support for the former Kaiser Wilhelm II who was living in exile there. In October 1928, Graf Zeppelin made its first intercontinental trip, to Lakehurst Naval Air Station , New Jersey, US, with Eckener in command and Lehmann as first officer. Rosendahl and Drummond-Hay flew

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2530-720: A total of 40 minutes. On 3 May 2011, Goodyear confirmed their intentions to reinstate their historic partnership with Luftschiffbau Zeppelin. Accordingly, Goodyear placed an order for three Zeppelin NT LZ N07-101 models with plans to commence operation in January 2014. The Zeppelin NT is the successor to Goodyear's non-rigid airship, the GZ-20 in Goodyear airship advertising. The first of these airships, referred to as Wingfoot One ,

2645-491: A typical transatlantic journey, the Graf Zeppelin used Blau gas 90% of the time, only burning petrol if the ship was too heavy, and used ten times less hydrogen per day than the smaller zeppelin L 59 did on its Khartoum flight in 1917. Graf Zeppelin typically carried 3,500 kg (7,700 lb) of ballast water and 650 kg (1,430 lb) of spare parts, including an extra propeller. Calcium chloride

2760-911: The Luftwaffe . During the autumn of 1941, the company accepted contracts to produce elements of the V-2 rocket , specifically propellant tanks and fuselage sections. By 17 August 1942, the Allies had suspected that the Zeppelin Works in Friedrichshafen (as well as the Henschel Raxwerke ) were involved in the supply chain of the V-2, and on 25 July 1943, British MP Duncan Sandys reported that Friedrichshafen photos depicted rocket firing sites like Test Stand VII at Peenemünde . During

2875-582: The Century of Progress World's Fair in Chicago. It displayed swastika markings on the left side of the fins, as the Nazi Party had taken power in January . Eckener circled the fair clockwise so that the swastikas would not be seen by the spectators. The United States Post Office Department issued a special 50-cent airmail stamp (C-18) for the visit, which was the fifth and final one the ship made to

2990-605: The Graf Zeppelin flew through a heavy hailstorm over the Saône , the envelope was damaged and the ship lost lift. Eckener ordered full power and flew the ship out of trouble, but it came within 200 feet of hitting the ground. The Europe-Pan American flight was largely funded by the sale of special stamps issued by Spain, Brazil, and the US for franking mail carried on the trip. The US issued stamps in three denominations : 65¢, $ 1.30, and $ 2.60, all on 19 April 1930. The second flight to

3105-484: The Graf Zeppelin often flew with one engine shut down to conserve fuel. Graf Zeppelin was the only rigid airship to burn Blau gas ; the engines were started on petrol and could then switch fuel. A liquid-fuelled airship loses weight as it burns fuel, requiring the release of lifting gas, or the capture of water from exhaust gas or rainfall , to avoid the vessel climbing. Blau gas was only slightly heavier than air, so burning it had little effect on buoyancy. On

3220-483: The Hindenburg disaster in 1937, and scrapped for military aircraft production in April 1940. The first successful flight of a rigid airship , Ferdinand von Zeppelin 's LZ1 , was in Germany in 1900. Between 1910 and 1914, Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft ( DELAG ) transported thousands of passengers by airship. During World War I, Germany used airships to bomb London and other strategic targets . In 1917,

3335-730: The Hindenburg disaster in 1937; the event compelled the firm to terminate Zeppelin manufacturing in 1938, while all operations of existing airships was ceased by 1940. In August 1939, the Graf Zeppelin II conducted a reconnaissance flight along Great Britain 's coastline in an attempt to determine whether the 100 metre towers erected from Portsmouth to Scapa Flow were used for aircraft radio location. The frames of Graf Zeppelin and Graf Zeppelin II , along with scrap material from Hindenburg , were subsequently scrapped that same year for their materials, which were used to fulfil wartime demands for fixed-wing military aircraft for

3450-470: The LZ 8 , christened Deutschland II , he decided to launch it in a strong wind, which pushed the craft into the hangar wall, damaging it seriously. Nonetheless, he became a very successful airshipman. Eckener was responsible for training most of Germany's airship pilots both during and after World War I. Despite his protestations, he was not allowed on operational missions due to his value as an instructor. After

3565-570: The LZ ;126 , performed its first flight on 27 August 1924. However, the Goodyear-Zeppelin partnership was terminated following the outbreak of the Second World War . Despite this, the American company continued to produce blimps for several decades under the Goodyear name. During 1926, restrictions on airship construction were relaxed, but acquiring the necessary funds for Luftschiffbau Zeppelin's next project proved problematic in

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3680-709: The National Geographic Society , which he received on 27 March 1930 at the Washington Auditorium. Before returning to Germany, Eckener met President Herbert Hoover , and successfully lobbied the US Postmaster General for a special three-stamp issue (C-13, 14 & 15) for mail to be carried on the Europe-Pan American flight due to leave Germany in mid-May. Germany issued a commemorative coin celebrating

3795-586: The Second World War , the company became involved in the manufacture of the V2 rocket ; its facilities were hit by Allied bombing raids and it all but ceased to exist in the final months of the conflict. During the 1980s, Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH was revived from its residual assets. It has since become a major shareholder in the company ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH , which developed and produces

3910-544: The US Navy as a war reparation in October 1924. The company chairman Hugo Eckener commanded the delivery flight, and the ship was commissioned as USS  Los Angeles  (ZR-3) . The Treaty of Versailles placed limits on German aviation which the Allies relaxed in 1925. Eckener saw an opportunity to start an intercontinental air passenger service, and began lobbying the government for funds and permission to build

4025-572: The Zeppelin NT , a next generation airship. During 1900, Count von Zeppelin's first airship performed its maiden flight . Initially, his research was being financed by the count himself, as well as by private donations, and even a lottery ; public interest in Zeppelin's activities grew with the success of each flight. In 1908, the Zeppelin LZ 4 was destroyed during a high-profile test flight. However, this apparent setback proved fortunate in

4140-576: The world's first airline to use an aircraft in revenue service, in 1909 on the back of public interest and using its own airships. During the First World War , Zeppelins were employed as the first long distance strategic bombers , launching numerous raids upon Belgium , France , and the United Kingdom . Following Count von Zeppelin's death in 1917, control of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin fell to Dr. Hugo Eckener , an enthusiastic proponent of

4255-556: The 1930s, the Nazi government nationalized the Zeppelin operation under the name Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei GmbH (DZR). The Nazis sidelined Eckener in favour of men who were more compliant with their wishes. In their haste to please the Nazi regime, these newly promoted airshipmen did not always obey Eckener's safety procedures. For example, the maiden voyage of the Hindenburg nearly resulted in disaster when Captain Ernst A. Lehmann brought

4370-567: The Count sought to speak to Eckener. Eckener was so impressed by him that during October 1908 he agreed to be a part-time publicist for the Zeppelin Company. He became extremely interested in airships, and joined the company on a full-time basis. His aptitude at flying was noticed early on in his career, and he became an airship captain, obtaining his airship license in 1911. However, when Eckener attempted his first flight on 16 May 1911 in

4485-539: The Gambia . On 24 November, during the second trip, the crew learned of an insurrection in Brazil, and there was some doubt whether it would be possible to return to Recife. Graf Zeppelin delivered its mail to Maceió , then loitered off the coast for three days until it was safe to land, after a flight of 118 hours and 40 minutes. Brazil built a hangar for airships at Bartolomeu de Gusmão Airport , near Rio de Janeiro, at

4600-782: The German LZ 104 (L 59) was the first airship to make an intercontinental flight, from Jambol in Bulgaria to Khartoum and back, a nonstop journey of 6,800 kilometres (4,200 mi; 3,700 nmi). During and just after the war, Britain and the United States built airships, and France and Italy experimented with confiscated German ones. In July 1919 the British R34 flew from East Fortune in Scotland to New York and back. Luftschiffbau Zeppelin delivered LZ 126 to

4715-473: The German public's enthusiasm for airships via the establishment of a commercial passenger-carrying company. By July 1914, DELAG's Zeppelins had transported 34,028 passengers on 1,588 commercial flights; the fleet had flown 172,535 kilometres in 3,176 hours. During the First World War , Imperial Germany decided to deploy Zeppelins as long-distance bombers, launching numerous attacks upon Belgium, France, and

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4830-624: The King. It returned to Friedrichshafen on 13 April. The polar flight ( Polarfahrt 1931 ) lasted from 24 to 31 July 1931. The ship rendezvoused with the Soviet icebreaker Malygin , which had Italian polar explorer Umberto Nobile aboard. It exchanged 120 kg (260 lb) of souvenir mail with the airship, which Eckener landed on the Arctic Ocean . Fifty thousand cards and letters, weighing 300 kg (660 lb), were carried. The costs of

4945-457: The Mayor of Friedrichshafen . A stipulation had been placed upon the endowment that limited the use of its funds to the field of airships. Over the many years, the investment value of the endowment grew to a point where it had become viable for the funds to be put to use for the purpose of designing, developing, and constructing of a new generation of Zeppelins. In 1988, the first considerations into

5060-820: The Middle East took place in 1931, beginning on 9 April. Graf Zeppelin crossed the Mediterranean to Benghazi in Libya, then flew via Alexandria , to Cairo in Egypt, where it saluted King Fuad at the Qubbah Palace, then visited the Great Pyramid of Giza and hovered 70 feet above the top of the monument. After a brief stop, the ship flew to Palestine where it circled Jerusalem, then returned to Cairo to pick up Eckener, who had stayed for an audience with

5175-535: The SPD and the Zentrum, but he bowed out when Paul von Hindenburg decided to run for a second term. However, his potential candidacy had already angered the Nazi Party . In supposed anger and fear of Eckener, Hitler's de facto deputy, Hermann Esser , once called him the "director of the flying Weisswurst ", a greyish-white Bavarian sausage . The Nazis came to power in January 1933. A planned arrest of Eckener in 1933

5290-427: The US. The airship's cotton envelope absorbed moisture from the air in humid tropical conditions. When the relative humidity reached 90%, the ship's weight rose by almost 1,800 kilograms (4,000 lb). Exposure to tropical downpours could greatly add to this, but when under way the ship had enough reserve power to generate dynamic lift to compensate. In April 1935 it made a rough forced landing at Recife after it

5405-527: The United Kingdom . While the direct military effect of these zeppelin raids has been seen as limited, their novelty generated widespread alarm and caused substantial resources to be diverted from the Western Front to address them. At the time, the impact of such raids was overestimated in terms of both the material and psychological effects of the bombing of cities. One inadvertent consequence

5520-555: The War, Eckener succeeded Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin , who had died on 8 March 1917. After considerable conflict with Zeppelin's business manager, Alfred Colsman , who wanted to replace the production of airships with production of other (and likely more profitable) products, Eckener was able to keep the Zeppelin factory at Friedrichshafen on Bodensee ( Lake Constance ) in Württemberg , southern Germany, from being retooled. Colsman left

5635-655: The Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH (ZLT) was founded in Friedrichshafen as a corporate spin-off of the original Zeppelin company to pursue development and production of the new generation of Zeppelins, later known as the Zeppelin NT (New Technology). By spring 1994, preparatory studies for a full-sized prototype were underway. In 1995, the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt , Germany's civil aviation authority , officially recognized ZLT as

5750-433: The airship on its delivery flight to Lakehurst, New Jersey . The Los Angeles became the longest-serving rigid airship ever operated by the United States Navy. Refused funds by the penniless Weimar government , Eckener and his colleagues began a nationwide fund-raising lecture tour in order to commence construction of Graf Zeppelin , which became the most successful rigid airship ever built. The first flight to America

5865-455: The beginning as a technology demonstrator for the more capable airships that would follow. It was built between 1926 and September 1928 at the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin works in Friedrichshafen , on Lake Constance , Germany, which became its home port for nearly all of its flights. Its duralumin frame was made of eighteen 28-sided structural polygons joined lengthwise with 16 km (10 miles) of girders and braced with steel wire. The outer cover

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5980-425: The carriage of souvenir mail between Lakehurst, Friedrichshafen, Tokyo , and Los Angeles. A US franked letter flown on the whole trip from Lakehurst to Lakehurst required $ 3.55 (equivalent to $ 63 in 2023) in postage. Graf Zeppelin set off from Lakehurst on 8 August, heading eastwards. The ship refuelled at Friedrichshafen, then continued across Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union to Tokyo. After five days at

6095-540: The circumnavigation. On 26 April 1930, Graf Zeppelin flew low over the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in England, dipping in salute to King George V , then briefly moored alongside the larger R100 at Cardington . On 18 May, it left on a triangular flight between Spain, Brazil, and the US, carrying 38 passengers, many of them in crew accommodation. The ship arrived at Recife (Pernambuco) in Brazil, docking at Campo do Jiquiá on 22 May, where 300 soldiers helped land it. It then flew to Rio de Janeiro , where there

6210-545: The civil value of airships. However, Germany's zeppelins were claimed by the Allies as war reparations . The company continued to innovate during the interwar period , constructing the largest rigid airship in history, the LZ 129 Hindenburg , lead ship of the Hindenburg class . However, the company's fortunes soured during the Nazi era, particularly following the high-profile Hindenburg disaster . Its airships were grounded and scrapped in 1940 to produce fixed-wing combat aircraft for Nazi Germany 's war machine. During

6325-479: The coast of Newfoundland . A stowaway boarded at Lakehurst and was discovered in the mail room mid-voyage. The airship returned home and on 6 November flew to Berlin Staaken , where it was met by the German president, Paul von Hindenburg . Graf Zeppelin visited Mandatory Palestine in late March 1929. At Rome it sent greetings to Benito Mussolini and King Victor Emmanuel III . It entered Palestine , flew over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem , and descended to near

6440-452: The company soon afterwards. The Treaty of Versailles had forbidden Germans to construct airships of the size needed to operate the profitable trans-Atlantic service that was Eckener's goal. However, after much skillful lobbying, he persuaded the U.S. and German governments to allow the company to build LZ 126 , later rechristened the USS Los Angeles (ZR-3), for the United States Navy as part of Germany's war reparations. Eckener captained

6555-551: The company was effectively divided, with Luftschiffbau Zeppelin making the airships and the Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei company (affiliated with Lufthansa ) operating them. Officially, Hugo Eckener was the head of both entities but, in practice, Ernst Lehmann , who was less opposed to the Nazi regime, ran the latter. As a result of Eckener's criticism of the Nazi regime, Goebbels had ordered his censoring across all forms of public media in 1936. However, Luftschiffbau Zeppelin lost much of its favour amongst political circles following

6670-557: The cost of the project to fly Graf Zeppelin around the world, with four staff on the flight; Lady Hay Drummond-Hay , Karl von Wiegand , Australian explorer Hubert Wilkins , and cameraman Robert Hartmann. Drummond-Hay became the first woman to circumnavigate the world by air. Hearst stipulated that the flight in August 1929 officially start and finish at Lakehurst. Round-the-world tickets were sold for almost $ 3000 (equivalent to $ 53,000 in 2023), but most participants had their costs paid for them. The flight's expenses were offset by

6785-400: The crew were subject to the first of two New York ticker tape parades. Eckener captained Graf Zeppelin during most of its record-setting flights, including the 1928 first intercontinental passenger airship flight , the 1929 flight around the world (the only such flight by an airship, and the second by an aircraft of any type) and the 1931 Arctic flight . A master of publicity as well as

6900-443: The difficult economic situation of post–First World War Germany, requiring two years of lobbying and publicity work to secure the realization of Graf Zeppelin , christened in honour of the firm's founder. On 18 September 1928, when the completed Graf Zeppelin flew for the first time. In the following years, it was not only commenced transatlantic commercial passenger flights but performed several record-breaking flights, including

7015-404: The east. Flying time for the four Lakehurst to Lakehurst legs was 12 days, 12 hours, and 13 minutes; the entire circumnavigation (including stops) took 21 days, 5 hours, and 31 minutes to cover 33,234 km (20,651 mi; 17,945 nmi). It was the fastest circumnavigation of the globe at the time. Eckener became the tenth recipient and the third aviator to be awarded the Gold Medal of

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7130-447: The expedition were met largely by the sale of special postage stamps issued by Germany and the Soviet Union to frank the mail carried on the flight. Writer Arthur Koestler was one of two journalists on board, along with a multinational team of scientists led by Soviet Professor Samoilowich, who measured the Earth's magnetic field , and a Soviet radio operator. The expedition photographed and mapped Franz Josef Land accurately for

7245-447: The fiery destruction of the Hindenburg , albeit with severe burns, the ship performed an espionage mission off the coast of Great Britain, intended to investigate the radar defences . Eckener, however, had by this time little influence on the Zeppelin Company. Eckener survived World War II despite his disagreements with the Nazis. Post-war, he was involved in a plan by the Goodyear Zeppelin Corporation to build large rigid airships, but

7360-466: The firm's competitor, the Mannheim -based Schütte-Lanz company. While their dirigibles were never as successful, Professor Schütte's more scientific approach to airship design led to innovations such as a streamlined hull shape, simpler cruciform fins (replacing the more complicated box-like arrangements of older Zeppelins), individual direct-drive engine cars, anti-aircraft machine-gun positions, and gas ventilation shafts that transferred vented hydrogen to

7475-444: The first commercial transatlantic passenger flight service. The ship was named after the German airship pioneer Ferdinand von Zeppelin , a count ( Graf ) in the German nobility. It was conceived and operated by Hugo Eckener , the chairman of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin . Graf Zeppelin made 590 flights totalling almost 1.7 million kilometres (over 1 million miles). It was operated by a crew of 36, and could carry 24 passengers. It

7590-434: The first night of its second trip to the US, Graf Zeppelin lost four of its engines. With Eckener struggling for a suitable place to force-land, the French Air Ministry allowed him to land at Cuers-Pierrefeu , near Toulon . Barely able to control the ship, Eckener made an emergency landing. The incident, and the forced comradeship it engendered, softened France's attitude to Germany and its airships slightly. The incident

7705-467: The first time, and came within 910 kilometres (570 mi; 490 nmi) of the North Pole . It deployed three early radiosondes over the Arctic to collect meteorological data from the upper atmosphere. From the beginning, Luftschiffbau Zeppelin had plans to serve South America. There was a large community of Germans in Brazil , and existing sea connections were slow and uncomfortable. Graf Zeppelin could transport passengers over long distances in

7820-430: The first transatlantic flight, Graf Zeppelin carried 66,000 postcards and covers . Eckener had earned his doctorate in Psychology at Leipzig University under Wilhelm Wundt , and could use his knowledge of mass psychology to the benefit of the Graf Zeppelin . He identified safety as the most important factor in the ship's public acceptance, and was ruthless in pursuit of this. He took complete responsibility for

7935-409: The flammable craft. The airship captured the public imagination and was used extensively in advertising. On visits to England, it photographed Royal Air Force bases, the Blackburn aircraft factory in Yorkshire, and the Portsmouth naval dockyard ; it is likely that this was espionage at the behest of the German government. During 1928, there were six proving flights. On the fourth one, Blau gas

8050-541: The following months transported passengers between Friedrichshafen and Berlin, and sister ship LZ 121 Nordstern (scrapped September 1926), which was intended for use on a regular route to Stockholm . However, in 1921, the Allied Powers demanded that these airships should be handed over as war reparations as compensation for the dirigibles destroyed by their crews in 1919. Germany was not allowed to construct military aircraft and only airships of less than 28,000 m (1,000,000 cu ft) were permitted. This brought

8165-452: The keel corridor led to the five engine nacelles, and there were ladders up to the axial corridor, just below the ship's main axis, which gave access to all the gas cells. The main generating plant was in a separate compartment mostly inside the hull. Two 8.9 kW (12 hp) Wanderer car engines adapted to burn Blau gas, only one of which operated at a time, drove two Siemens & Halske dynamos each. One dynamo on each engine powered

8280-476: The long run since its loss caused a flood of public support; the ensuing donation campaign collected over six million German marks, which was used to set up both 'Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH' as well as the Zeppelin Foundation . Luftschiffbau Zeppelin proceeded to design and manufacture a range of Zeppelin airships, which found use within both the civilian and military sectors. The company played

8395-546: The longest class of flying machine and the largest airship by envelope volume. Hindenburg was constructed by the company between 1931 and 1936, and performed its maiden test flight from the Zeppelin dockyards at Friedrichshafen on 4 March 1936, with 87 passengers and crew aboard. It subsequently performed propaganda flight around Germany in conjunction with other airships, in addition to transatlantic commercial passenger flights to destinations in both North and South America . The company's fortunes were greatly influenced by

8510-406: The navigators, who could take readings with a sextant through the two large windows. There was also a radio room and a galley with a double electric oven and hot plates. The galley staff served three hot meals a day in the main dining and sitting room, which was 5 metres (16 ft) square. It had four large arched windows, wooden inlays, and Art Deco -upholstered furniture. Between meals,

8625-419: The newly formed development team filed several patents on various technologies that would be later used on the subsequent airship, these included propeller arrangements, structure and girder design, and ballonet implementation. In March 1991, a flyable remote control proof of concept model was demonstrated, which is claimed to have revealed excellent flight characteristics from the onset. In September 1993,

8740-443: The nose to a mooring mast. Graf Zeppelin 's top airspeed was 128 km/h (36 m/s; 80 mph; 69 kn) at 1,980 kW (2,650 hp); it cruised at 117 km/h (33 m/s; 73 mph; 63 kn), at 1,600 kW (2,150 hp). It had a total lift capacity of 87,000 kg (192,000 lb) with a usable payload of 15,000 kg (33,000 lb) on a 10,000 km (6,200 mi; 5,400 nmi) flight. It

8855-405: The outward leg. Ludwig Dettmann and Theo Matejko made an artistic record of the flight. On the third day of the flight, a large section of the fabric covering of the port tail fin was damaged while passing through a mid-ocean squall line , and volunteer riggers (including Eckener's son, Knut) climbed outside the airship and made repairs to the torn fabric. Eckener directed Rosendahl to make

8970-456: The oven and hotplates, and one the lighting and gyrocompass . Cooling water from these engines heated radiators inside the passenger lounge. Two ram air turbines attached to the main gondola on swinging arms provided electrical power for the radio room, internal lighting, and the galley. Batteries could power essential services like radios for half an hour, and there were small petrol generators for emergency power. Three radio operators used

9085-411: The parent group company of the current Zeppelin maker was re-established, while the operating company producing the current Zeppelins was created in 2001. The modern development and construction that is embodied by the Zeppelin NT had been financed by a long-standing endowment, which had been initially funded with money left over from the earlier Zeppelin company, that had been under the trusteeship of

9200-524: The passengers could socialise and look at the scenery. On the round-the-world flight, there was dancing to a phonograph , fine wine, and Ernst Lehmann , one of the officers, played the accordion . A corridor led to ten passenger cabins capable of sleeping 24, a pair of washrooms, and dual chemical toilets . The passenger cabins were set by day with a sofa, which converted at night into two beds. The cabins were often cold, and on some sectors passengers wore furs and huddled under blankets to stay warm. There

9315-521: The previous month, Allied bombing during Operation Bellicose had hit the Zeppelin V-2 facility, leading to production being subsequently relocated to the Mittelwerk . During the final months of the conflict, the company effectively ceased to exist, disappearing sometime around 1945. Almost 50 years following its disappearance, the company was regenerated from its residual assets. During 1993,

9430-531: The project came to nothing. In 1945, Johannes Weyl and Eckener co-founded the Südkurier regional newspaper and Eckener started writing for German-French co-operation. In November 1945 Eckener was confronted with the charge of collaboration with Nazi Germany . In 1947 the French occupying powers fined him 100,000  ℛ︁ℳ︁ . Many personalities lobbied for Eckener's rehabilitation . The judgement

9545-488: The rise of the Nazis to power in Germany during 1933. On the whole, Nazi Germany placed a greater value on 'heavier than air' aircraft over that of zeppelins due to their military superiority. Despite this, zeppelins were prominently used by the nation for a number of major propaganda campaigns, to great effect. As a consequence of accepting 11 million marks from Goebbels ' Ministry of Propaganda and Göring's Air Ministry,

9660-521: The same luxury as an ocean liner, and almost as quickly as contemporary airliners . Graf Zeppelin made three trips to Brazil in 1931 and nine in 1932. The route to Brazil meant flying down the Rhône valley in France, a cause of great sensitivity between the wars. The French government, concerned about espionage, restricted it to a 12 nmi (22 km; 14 mi)-wide corridor in 1934. Graf Zeppelin

9775-404: The ship out in strong winds in order to undertake a Nazi propaganda flight. The ship was damaged, and there was an argument between Eckener, Lehmann and the Nazi propaganda ministry. Hugo Eckener had always made safety his absolute priority during his many years managing airship operations. With Eckener's management, the Zeppelin company had a perfect safety record with no passenger ever sustaining

9890-460: The ship, from technical matters, to finance, to arranging where it would fly next on its years-long public relations campaign, in which he promoted "zeppelin fever". On one of the Brazil trips British Pathé News filmed on board. Eckener cultivated the press, and was gratified when the British journalist Lady Grace Drummond-Hay wrote, and millions read, that: The Graf Zeppelin is a ship with

10005-470: The support of the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst , and cargo and passenger receipts. After several long flights between 1928 and 1932, including one to the Arctic , Graf Zeppelin provided a commercial passenger and mail service between Germany and Brazil for five years. When the Nazi Party came to power, they used Graf Zeppelin as a propaganda tool. The airship was withdrawn from service after

10120-492: The surface of the Dead Sea , 430 m (1,400 ft) below sea level. The ship delivered 16,000 letters in mail drops at Jaffa , Athens , Budapest and Vienna . The Egyptian government (under pressure from Britain) refused it permission to enter their airspace. The second Mediterranean cruise flew over France, Spain, Portugal and Tangier , then returned home via Cannes and Lyon on 23–25 April. On 16 May 1929, on

10235-412: The technological and economic feasibility of reviving the Zeppelin industry began; this included examinations of historic Zeppelin documentation as well as current designs for airships. In December 1990, a feasibility study and accompanying market research program found an initial sales potential for around 80 Zeppelin airships for purposes such as tourism, advertising, and scientific research. In mid 1991,

10350-563: The top of the airship. New production facilities were set up to assemble Zeppelins from components fabricated in Friedrichshafen. In 1917, Count von Zeppelin died; control of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin fell to Dr. Hugo Eckener , who had long envisioned dirigibles as vessels of peace rather than of war and hoped to quickly resume civilian flights. Despite considerable difficulties, they completed two small passenger airships: LZ 120 Bodensee (scrapped July 1928), which first flew in August 1919 and in

10465-424: The wind speed over the sea, and calculate drift, floating pyrotechnic flares were dropped. When preparing to land, the crew advised the ground either by radio or signal flag . Ground crew lit a smoky fire to help the airshipmen judge wind speed and direction. The airship slowed, then adjusted buoyancy to neutral by valving off hydrogen or dropping ballast. Echo sounding with the report from an 11-mm blank round

10580-439: The wind-driven generator could not generate enough power to send messages. The 9,926 km (6,168 mi; 5,360 nmi) crossing, the longest non-stop flight at the time, had taken 111 hours 44 minutes. Clara Adams became the first female paying passenger to fly transatlantic on the return flight. The ship endured an overnight gale that blew it backwards in the air and 320 km (200 mi; 170 nmi) off course, to

10695-405: Was a 40-metre (130 ft) wire stretched from a ring on the hull. Three six-tube receivers served the wavelengths from 120 to 1,200 m ( medium frequency ), 400 to 4,000 m (low frequency) and 3,000 to 25,000 m (overlapping low frequency and very low frequency ). The radio room also had a shortwave receiver for 10 to 280 m ( high frequency ). A radio direction finder used

10810-549: Was a noticeable smell from the Blau gas, especially when the ship was stationary. A ladder from the map room led up to the keel corridor inside the hull, and accommodation for the 36 crewmen. Officers' quarters were towards the nose; behind them were the baggage store, the crew mess room, and the quarters for the ordinary crew, who slept in wire-frame beds with fabric screens. Also along this corridor were petrol, oil and water tanks, and stowage for cargo and spare parts. Branches from

10925-512: Was added to the ballast water to prevent freezing. The ship retained grey water from the sinks for use as additional ballast. Both fresh and waste water could be moved forward and aft to control trim. The airship usually took off vertically using static lift ( buoyancy ), then started the engines in the air, adding aerodynamic lift . Normal cruising altitude was 200 m (650 ft); it climbed if necessary to cross high ground or poor weather, and often descended in stormy weather. To measure

11040-548: Was blocked by Hindenburg. Hitler met Eckener only once, in July 1933, but the two barely spoke. Eckener did not make any secret of his dislike of the Nazis and the disastrous events he foresaw. He criticised the regime frequently, and refused to allow the Nazis to use the large hangars at Frankfurt for a rally. Eventually the Nazis declared Eckener to be persona non grata and his name was no longer allowed to appear in print. During

11155-476: Was caught in a rainstorm at low speed on the approach to land and the added weight of several tons of water caused it to sink to the ground. The lower rudder was lost, the outer envelope was ripped in several places, and a petrol tank was punctured by a palm tree. In late 1935 Graf Zeppelin operated a temporary postal shuttle service between Recife and Bathurst , in the British African colony of

11270-471: Was caused by adjustments that had been made by the chief engineer to the four engines that failed. On 4 August, the airship made it to Lakehurst on the second attempt. Aboard was Susie, an eastern gorilla who had been captured near Lake Kivu in the Belgian Congo and sold by her German owner to an American dealer. American newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst 's media empire paid half

11385-401: Was difficult because of high temperatures and an inversion layer . To lighten the ship, six crew and some cargo were sent on to Lakehurst by aeroplane. The airship suffered minor damage from a tail strike and barely cleared electricity cables at the edge of the field. The Graf Zeppelin arrived back at Lakehurst from the west on the morning of 29 August, three weeks after it had departed to

11500-475: Was fraught with drama. Near Bermuda on the outbound flight the airship was nearly lost after becoming caught in a severe storm during which fabric was ripped off the left fin. The ship was saved only by Eckener's skilled piloting and the courage of his son, Knut Eckener , and other crew members who climbed out onto the fin to repair the damage. Upon arrival in America, a country which Eckener grew to love, he and

11615-453: Was hydrogen carried in 17 lifting gas cells ( Traggaszelle ), and 30,000 m (1,100,000 cu ft) was Blau gas in 12 fuel gas cells ( Kraftgaszelle ). The Graf Zeppelin was built to be the largest possible airship that could fit into the company's construction hangar, with only 46 cm (18 in) between the top of the finished vessel and the hangar roof. It was the longest and most voluminous airship when built, but it

11730-531: Was introduced during mid-2014. World War I, primarily for the Luftstreitkräfte ) World War 2 47°40′27″N 9°30′26″E  /  47.67417°N 9.50722°E  / 47.67417; 9.50722 LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin#First intercontinental passenger airship flight LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin ( Deutsches Luftschiff Zeppelin 127 ) was a German passenger-carrying hydrogen -filled rigid airship that flew from 1928 to 1937. It offered

11845-506: Was invited to campaign as a moderate in the German presidential elections, he was blacklisted by that regime and eventually sidelined. Eckener was born in Flensburg as the first child of Johann Christoph Eckener from Bremen and Anna Lange, daughter of a shoemaker. As a youth he was judged an "indifferent student", and he spent summers sailing and winters ice skating. Nevertheless, by 1892 under Professor Wilhelm Wundt , Eckener had earned

11960-460: Was no post to tether to, so it was held down by the landing party for the two hours of the visit. During the flight north via Recife to Lakehurst, a storm damaged the rear engine nacelle, which was repaired in the hangar at Lakehurst. During ground handling of the airship there, it suddenly lifted, causing serious injury to one of the US Marines who was assisting. A few hours from home, when

12075-458: Was of thick cotton , painted with aircraft dope containing aluminium to reduce solar heating, then sandpapered smooth. The gas cells were also cotton, lined with goldbeater's skins , and protected from damage by a layer containing 27 km (17 miles) of ramie fibre. Graf Zeppelin was 236.6 m (776 ft) long and had a total gas volume of 105,000 m (3,700,000 cu ft), of which 75,000 m (2,600,000 cu ft)

12190-623: Was operated by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin's commercial flight arm, DELAG , in conjunction with the Hamburg-American Line (HAPAG); for its final two years it flew for the Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei (DZR). Passengers paid premium fares to fly on the Graf Zeppelin (1,500  ℛ︁ℳ︁ from Germany to Rio de Janeiro in 1934, equal to $ 590 then, or $ 13,000 in 2018 dollars ), and fees collected for valuable freight and air mail also provided income. On

12305-504: Was rejected in July 1948 and Eckener was rehabilitated. Eckener's home town of Flensburg had a Danish-oriented majority in its council since 1945, with the goal of unification with Denmark. Eckener remained active in local politics campaigning for a German majority in Flensburg, while at the same time, during a "thundering" one-hour speech in 1951, warning against small-mindedness in border concerns. Eckener died in Friedrichshafen on 14 August 1954, four days after his 86th birthday. Eckener

12420-399: Was responsible for many innovative aviation developments, notably the trans-Atlantic passenger services offered by the airships Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg . Since his death his achievements have been remembered by airship enthusiasts and historians. Additionally, the town of Friedrichshafen , scene of his many triumphant homecomings in Graf Zeppelin , has recognised his memory by naming

12535-526: Was slightly unstable in yaw , and to make it easier to fly, had an automatic pilot which stabilised it in that axis. Pitch was controlled manually by an elevatorman who tried to limit the angle to 5° up or down, so as not to upset the bottles of wine which accompanied the elaborate food served on board. Operating the elevators was so demanding and strenuous that an elevatorman's shift was only four hours, reduced to two in rough weather. The operational spaces, common areas, and passenger cabins were built into

12650-527: Was the launch of a parliamentary inquiry under Jan Smuts , whose report led to the creation of the Royal Air Force (RAF) on 1 April 1918. Zeppelin technology improved considerably as a result of the conflict. Luftschiffbau Zeppelin came under government control and new personnel were recruited to cope with the increased demand, including the aerodynamicist Paul Jaray and the stress engineer Karl Arnstein . Many technological advances originated from

12765-426: Was the longest and largest airship in the world when it was built. It made the first circumnavigation of the world by airship, and the first nonstop crossing of the Pacific Ocean by air; its range was enhanced by its use of Blau gas as a fuel. It was built using funds raised by public subscription and from the German government, and its operating costs were offset by the sale of special postage stamps to collectors ,

12880-649: Was too slender for optimum aerodynamic efficiency, and there were worries that the shape would compromise its strength. Graf Zeppelin was powered by five Maybach VL II 12-cylinder 410 kW (550 hp) engines, each of 33.251 L (2,029.1 cu in) capacity, mounted in individual streamlined nacelles arranged so that each was in an undisturbed airflow. The engines were reversible, and were monitored by crew members who accessed them during flight via open ladders. The two-bladed wooden pusher propellers were 3.4 m (11 ft) in diameter, and were later upgraded to four-bladed units. On longer flights,

12995-532: Was too small and slow for the stormy North Atlantic route, but because of the Blau gas fuel, could carry out the longer South Atlantic service. On 2 July 1932 it flew a 24-hour tour of Britain. While returning from Brazil in October 1933, Graf Zeppelin stopped at NAS Opa Locka in Miami, Florida, and then Akron, Ohio , where it moored at the Goodyear Zeppelin airdock . The airship then appeared at

13110-530: Was used for the first time. Graf Zeppelin carried Oskar von Miller , head of the Deutsches Museum ; Charles E. Rosendahl , commander of USS Los Angeles ; and the British airshipmen Ralph Sleigh Booth and George Herbert Scott . It flew from Friedrichshafen to Ulm , via Cologne and across the Netherlands to Lowestoft in England, then home via Bremen , Hamburg , Berlin, Leipzig and Dresden ,

13225-409: Was used to measure altitude accurately. The ship flew in with its nose trimmed slightly down, made its final approach into the wind descending at 30 m (100 ft) per minute, then used reverse thrust to stop over the landing flag, where it dropped ropes to the ground. Landing in rough weather required a faster approach. Up to 300 people manhandled the airship into a hangar or secured it by

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