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ELLIC C-60 Bill Skillman, BR630, 410-242-5037 http://SkillmansofAmerica.com/SkillHome.htm May 6, 2013

Hindenburg Remembered

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An introduction to the principles of Airships, examples of dirigibles and the 1937 Hindenburg disaster at Lakehurst, New Jersey, witnessed by the author.

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Page 1: Hindenburg Remembered

ELLIC C-60Remembering the Hindenburg

or

Whatever happened to the

Great Airships?

Bill Skillman, BR630, 410-242-5037

http://SkillmansofAmerica.com/SkillHome.htm

May 6, 2013

Page 2: Hindenburg Remembered

Types of Airships Balloon: no structure, no

propulsion

Non-rigid: no structure,propulsion, AKA Blimp

Semi-rigid: keelstructure, propulsion

Rigid: full structureAKA DirigibleZeppelin- German

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Types of Airships - II

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How does a non-rigid or semi-rigid airship keep its shape?

Answer: Internal pressure Ballonets: internal

balloons, pressurizedwith air at launch.

Increased altitude: liftinggas expands, air releasedfrom ballonets.

Pressure altitude: all airgone, gas valved abovepressure altitude.

Fore/aft ballonets cancontrol pitch as shown.

Page 5: Hindenburg Remembered

Rigid Airships have Gas Bags

Rigid structure maintains shape. Multiple gas bags partially filled at launch. Increased altitude, expanding gas fills bags. Pressure Altitude: bags 100% filled. Hindenburg: PA about 800 feet at launch. Hindenburg: fuel 28% of total lift capacity.• Hydrogen valved to balance fuel weight loss.

Page 6: Hindenburg Remembered

All Airships use a Lifting Gasto be Lighter Than Air (LTA)

Lift = Weight of air - Weight of gas

Hot air balloons: lift from heated/expanded air

Blimps/dirigibles: lift per 1000 cu.ft.@STPHydrogen: 76.36#-5.31#=71.05# (typ. 68#)Helium: 76.36#-10.54#=65.82# (typ. 60#)Methane:76.36#- ~38#=38# (typ. 35#)

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How much could the Hindenburg lift?

Helium: expensive, US monopoly, lifts 1 lb. Per 16.7 cu. ft. Hindenburg originally designed to use He + H2, US – NO! Hydrogen: cheap, lifts 1 lb. Per 14.7 cu. ft. All German ships. Hindenburg lifting gas capacity: 7 million cu. ft. Total lift 238 tons (Helium: 212 tons) Structure: 130 tons Useful lift: 108 tons (people, food, fuel, mail, freight, etc)

Diesel fuel capacity about 65 tons (28% total lift)Passengers: 1936: 50, 1937: 72, Crew: about 60

Page 8: Hindenburg Remembered

Neutral Buoyancy

Airships operate close to neutral buoyancy.Minimizes fuel to drive up or downNeed to compensate for burn of heavy fuel

Valve H2 to balanceCondense exhaust (Akron, Macon)

Blau gas abt. same wt. as air, replace with airUsed in Graf Zeppelin

If airship heavy, release water ballast

Page 9: Hindenburg Remembered

Henri Giffard’s Dirigible – 1852(Dirigible from French dirigeable=directable)

Built in France using 3 HP Steam EngineFlew but couldn’t cope with head winds

Page 10: Hindenburg Remembered

Alberto Santos-Dumont Eiffel Tower flight

He flew 1st gasoline-poweredairship in 1898

He circled Eiffel Tower on10/19/1901 in Airship No.6 to win Deutsch de laMeurthe prize.

He was a Brazilian, alsofamous for airplanes.

Page 11: Hindenburg Remembered

LZ-1 the first Zeppelin

Inventor: Count Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin Made by his Luftschiffbau (Airship Company) Length: 420 ft., Gas Volume: 400,000 cu. ft. First Flight (shown) 7/2/1900, Lake Constance

(Bodensee), near Friedrichshafen, Germany

Page 12: Hindenburg Remembered

Airship America - 1910 Adventurer Walter

Wellman’s ship. Attempted Atlantic

crossing 10/15/1910. Left Atlantic City, NJ,

flew 1008 miles, enginefailure and weatherbrought them down to berescued by a Royal Mailship, the Trent.

Length 228 ft. First use of aircraft to ship

radio After rescue airship never

seen again.

Page 13: Hindenburg Remembered

Airship Akron - 1912

Melvin Vaniman’s ship. Launched Atlantic City,

7/3/1912 Exploded shortly, all 5

lives lost.

Page 14: Hindenburg Remembered

Zeppelin over London in WW I

• Many raids over England• Many shot down!

Page 15: Hindenburg Remembered

Lakehurst Hangar #1

• Army’s Camp Kendrick converted to• Naval Air Station (NAS) Lakehurst• Hangar #1 completed September, 1923• Height-200’ x Width-350’ x Length-808’

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Lakehurst Area

• Small town on theedge of the PineBarrens• Dad walked about1.3 miles to workfrom garageapartment on“other” side of RRtracks

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ZR-1, Shenandoah, under constructionHangar #1, Lakehurst

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Shenandoah leaving Ft. Worth, TexasOct. 9, 1924 after refill with Helium

• First flight: Sept. 4 1923, christened October• Shenandoah=Daughter of the Stars.• Built in Hangar #1, Lakehurst• Downed by line squall in Ohio Sept. 3, 1925• 29 of 43 aboard survived

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Shenandoah crash at Ava, Ohio

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Shenandoah CrashSouvenir Hunters

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Los Angeles Arrives at Lakehurst NAS

• WW I Reparation, constructed 1923 by LuftschiffbauZeppelin GmbH - their 126th airship = LZ126 : ZR-3(Navy)

• Transatlantic delivery from Germany: October, 1924• Flew 4398 hours in 8 years, decommissioned in 1932,

scrapped 1939.

Page 23: Hindenburg Remembered

Los Angeles does nose stand!

• August 25, 1927• Moored at high mast.• Cold breeze upended.• Crew of 25 aboard.• Low mast completed

45 days later.

Page 24: Hindenburg Remembered

A New Arrival in Lakehurst

• Wilbur - 6th GGS of Immigrant ancestor Thomas, born 1900• Greta - Immigrated from Sweden in 1901, age 9 mos.• Met in offices in Hangar #1, married Elkton, MD• Bill born in garage apartment

Page 25: Hindenburg Remembered

The Los Angeles over Lakehurst

• Picture taken byBill’s Mom

about 1932

Page 26: Hindenburg Remembered

LZ-127: Graf Zeppelin

• Christened July 8, 1928• Built in Germany by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin Co.• Round-the-World Aug. 7-29, 1929, 21,000 miles• Dismantled April, 1940

Page 27: Hindenburg Remembered

Graf Zeppelin Gondola

• Carried 20 passengers with a crew of 40• 590 flights with 144 ocean crossings• More than 1 million miles, 13,110 passengers

Page 28: Hindenburg Remembered

Graf Zeppelin Gondola

Page 29: Hindenburg Remembered

Graf Zeppelin Cabin

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Graf Zeppelin flies atCharlestown

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Airship Hospital - 1930

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Graf Zeppelin at Century of ProgressChicago 1933

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ZRS-4 Akron’s Maiden Flight

• Sept. 23, 1932.• Build by Goodyear, Akron, Ohio.• April 3, 1933, crashed in storm off N.J.• 73 of 76 aboard died.

Page 34: Hindenburg Remembered

Macon: ZRS-5, with two Sparrowhawk Fighters

• First flight April, 1933 - Mfg. by Goodyear, Akron, Ohio• Sank in storm off Pt. Sur, CA, Feb 12, 1935, 81/83 survived

Page 35: Hindenburg Remembered

HindenburgSouvenir

BookMay 9, 1936

Page 36: Hindenburg Remembered

Hindenburg D-LZ129

• Probably at Lakehurst, I may be in the picture!

Page 37: Hindenburg Remembered

Hindenburg at Lakehurst NAS

Page 38: Hindenburg Remembered

Hindenburg in Hangar #1

Page 39: Hindenburg Remembered

Hindenburg Passenger Deck Layout

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Hindenburg Cabin

• Cabin: 6.5’x5.5’,sink with Hot &Cold water

• 1936: 25 cabins,50 passengers

• 1937: 35 cabins,72 passengers (onefamily cabin)

Page 41: Hindenburg Remembered

Hindenburg Promenade

• 3 of the 6 windows could be opened - nobreeze under way!

Page 42: Hindenburg Remembered

Hindenburg Dining Room

Page 43: Hindenburg Remembered

Hindenburg flight time/speed

• Rio flights – 7 in 1936– 6850 mi.• Lakehurst – 10 in 1936– 4500 mi.• Top Speed – 85 mph• Cruise Speed – 75 mph• Normandie cruise speed – 33 mph• Cruise altitude – 200-650 feet• Flight times vary considerably due to

weather conditions and winds aloft

Page 44: Hindenburg Remembered

Hindenburg’s Final Flight

• Depart Germany• May 3, 1937 7:16 PM• Headwinds delay

arrival at Lakehurst toMay 6, 1937 4:15 PM

• Rain delayed landinguntil 7:15PM

• Hindenburg overPrinceton Univ. enroute to Lakehurst

Page 45: Hindenburg Remembered

Landing Approach at Lakehurst

Page 46: Hindenburg Remembered

Hangar #1 and Administration Bldg.

• Dad’s office was on 2nd floor of Admin. Bldg(Cshaped)in 1936-7 - originally in side of Hangar #1.

He was administrative ass’t to commanding officer.

Page 47: Hindenburg Remembered
Page 48: Hindenburg Remembered

Hindenburg burning

Page 49: Hindenburg Remembered

Hindenburg tail on groundPicture taken near where I stood

Page 50: Hindenburg Remembered

Hindenburg burning on ground

Page 51: Hindenburg Remembered

Hindenburg’s Charred Remains

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Hindenburg Spar

Page 53: Hindenburg Remembered

Hindenburg Crash Facts• 35 out of 97 on board died.• Passengers: 36 on board, 13 died, 23

survived.• Crew: 61 on board, 22 died, 39 survived,

Capt. Ernst Lehmann died, he hadcommanded more than 100 flights on theGraf and 10 on the Hindenburg.

• Ground crew: 100+ on ground, 1 died.

Page 54: Hindenburg Remembered

What caused the fire?• Engine backfire ignited valved H2?• Static discharge ignited valved H2?• Broken wire punctured H2 cell?• Static discharge ignited flammable

cover?• Gasoline dumped/ignited?• Bomb?• YGIAGAM?

Page 55: Hindenburg Remembered

Hindenburg Memorial

• Hangar #1 on left• Newer hangars on right• Located where control car crashed

Page 56: Hindenburg Remembered

Hindenburg Disaster Memorial Plaque

Page 57: Hindenburg Remembered

My Family at the Crash Site - 2005

• Daughter Karen, husband Richard,• Grandkids Eli, 5, Sarah, 9

Page 58: Hindenburg Remembered

Hindenburg Memorial ServiceMay 6, 2007 - 70th Anniversary

Page 59: Hindenburg Remembered

LZ130 Graf Zeppelin IIHindenburg’s Twin Sister

• First Flight: Sept. 14, 1938• Spy flights: Dec. 1938 to Aug 1939 (failed to detect Chain Home Radar)• Scrapped 1940, Frankfort hangers dynamited May 6, 1940

Page 60: Hindenburg Remembered

Zeppelin NT

• Modern Semi-RigidAirship

• Sightseeing flights inGermany, Japan andCalifornia

• NT = New Technology• Three steerable propellors• Built by ZeppelinLuftschifftechnik

• Helium inflated likeblimps – No gas bags

Page 61: Hindenburg Remembered

Zeppelin NT construction• Triangular trusses made of

graphite-reinforced plastic• Three longitudinal girders

of aluminum connecttrusses

• Three-layered laminateserves as hull and gas cell

• V=290,000cu ft. L=246 ft• (H-burg 7M cu Ft, 776 ft)

Page 62: Hindenburg Remembered

Zeppelin NT Cabin

• 12 Passengers and crew of 2

Page 63: Hindenburg Remembered

Giant Wurzburg Radar

• WWII radar built by Zeppelin Co., builder of the Hindenburg• Used similar lightweight construction as the dirigibles

Page 64: Hindenburg Remembered

Wurzburg Radar arrives atNational Electronics Museum

November 18, 2007

Page 65: Hindenburg Remembered

National Electronics Museum1745 W. Nursery Road, Linthicum, MD

www.nationalelectronicsmuseum.org

• Admission:Adults, $3Students & Seniors, $1Children under 5, free

• Hours: 9-4 M-F, 10-2 Sat.• Info: 410-765-0230

Page 66: Hindenburg Remembered

Pearl Harbor Radar at NEM

• SCR-270 – designed byArmy Signal Corps

• Built by Westinghouse• Similar radar at Opana siteon Oahu detected Japaneseraid on December 7, 1941but was ignored

• Several hundred built

Page 67: Hindenburg Remembered

The Dirigible is not dead!

Starred in the movie “UP”DISNEY-PIXAR graphics

Page 68: Hindenburg Remembered

U.S. Army: Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle -LEMV- 2009

Northrop Grumman $517M, 5 year contract to buildup to three ships.

Load: 2400 lbs, Altitude: 20 kft, Duration: 21daysDeploy Afghanistan late 2011/early 2012

Page 69: Hindenburg Remembered

Interesting events of May, 1937May 3 – Wallis Simpson divorce final

Hindenburg departs GermanyMay 6 – Hindenburg crashes at Lakehurst, N.J.May 12 – King George VI coronationMay 17 – Juan Negrin Prime Minister of SpainMay 23 – Golden Gate Bridge opens to pedestriansMay 28 – Neville Chamberlain Prime Min. of Eng.May 32 – Amelia Earhart departs Miami on

fatal round-the-world flightMay 34 – Wallis Simpson marries Duke of

Windsor

Page 70: Hindenburg Remembered

Blimps to

Explore

Other

Worlds

Page 71: Hindenburg Remembered

Coming ELLIC Attraction!The Story of AWACS