One tragic accident ends the era of airship travel - the Hindenberg disaster
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
Rockingham, Australia
October 15, 2017 1:37am CST
Following on from my discussion about blimps, the ill-fated LZ-129 Hindenberg was a rigid dirigible or airship. In its time, the airship was the fastest and most comfortable way to cross the Atlantic. For over 30 years, tens of thousands of passengers flew over 2,000 flights without a single injury. Passengers could travel from Europe to North or South America in half the time it would take them by ocean liner and they did it under luxurious circumstances.
They ate in an elegant dining room then relaxed in a modern lounge while being entertained by an aluminium piano. Overnight they had comfortable cabins and there was even a smoking room. However a tragic accident on May 6, 1937 brought an end to such luxury travel. A fire on board caused the crash of the airship as it attempted to dock. Thirty-five of those on board were killed along with one of the ground crew. The remainder of the 97 passengers and crew survived.
The crash ended the era of the passenger airship. I wonder a bit at this as there are plenty of nasty plane crashes but they haven’t stopped air travel by planes. Seeing some of the old photos of elegantly dressed women enjoying a meal on the airship makes me want to enjoy such an experience – only if it wasn’t going to crash of course.
The photo is of an organ (not a piano) which has the key colours reversed so the keys that are normally black are white and vice versa. This organ is in the monastery town of New Norcia in Western Australia.
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14 responses
@LadyDuck (458091)
• Switzerland
15 Oct 17
You surely know that the dirigibles in the past used Helium, that was expensive but a lot safer than Hydrogen. They were later obliged to use Hydrogen, it worked for several years, but then the fatal accident made a stop to the dirigibles. I am pretty sure that it was only a matter of too high costs.
4 people like this
@yanzalong (18984)
• Indonesia
15 Oct 17
More survivors than those who were killed. Air crash usually killed all passengers on board.
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@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
15 Oct 17
I have seen the footage of that crash.
2 people like this
@Meramar (2695)
•
15 Oct 17
The blimps were a great dream of count Zeppelin who was a pioneer in touristic flights and lived ups and downs through his drafts. I remember a documentary about the Hindenburg disaster which I saw in YouTube. It was really incredible to fly by this way.
3 people like this
@Meramar (2695)
•
15 Oct 17
@JudyEv As far as I understood, there were two reasons. One was that Zeppelin had no more money to invest. The other reason was that they needed more Helium. In the documentary I saw they said that they applied for it to the USA, but the supply was denied at that time. It was too expensive and the risk of accidents very high. Otherwise, I am not sure that actually people would still fly with blimps, at least not for long distance. In Germany, there are some places where they offer short excursions with a small one. But, obviously, it's not the same as the luxuary ones they used years before.
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@allen0187 (58444)
• Philippines
16 Oct 17
I've read about this. With today's technological advances, travelling by airships should be safer and faster, don't you think so?
The airships won't compete with passenger planes but the trip in an airship would be for the doen fro its novelty.
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) for long periods. To sit in a lounge chair and be able to get up and move about would appeal to many people.
@Bluedoll (16774)
• Canada
15 Oct 17
I like how you wrote this and didn't realize there were so many flights. It made me look up the cost of luxurious travel which was in 1936, $400.00 and $720.00 return. It doesn't seem like too much until we consider a one way trip is the same price as a brand new car in those days.1 person likes this
@Bluedoll (16774)
• Canada
18 Oct 17
@JudyEv The dirty thirty's was all around the world? One thing about slow economy is it lowers prices but I recall as a child hearing my parents speak of the past of one dollar days, it being the going wage. Many people baked their own bread and had gardens because the store bought sliced bread was so expensive. A nickle or dime perhaps?
This post made me think of travel but to be honest a crowded giant wide bodied plane doesn't do it for me.
Any suggestions?
Any suggestions?1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Oct 17
I have my father's 1937 journal and he paid 100 pound deposit for his first farm. I guess it was a lot in those days. Later he bought a mare and foal for 6 pounds.
@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
15 Oct 17
I'd love to ride on an airship
A Steampunk recruiting song for the best fighting force of Her Majesty the Queen. The song is by Emerald Rose and on their newest CD, "Verdant.". The video i...
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@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
15 Oct 17
@JudyEv it was a cruise liner compared to most commercial aircraft
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@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Oct 17
@arthurchappell That's what the photos convey too. Very luxurious.
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@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
16 Oct 17
It's interesting to read about the Hindenburg.And re the organ: Apparently when ivory became scarce they started reversing the black and white keys but it seems it didn't last long. I think they started using some synthetic substance rather than real ivory.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
15 Oct 17
I thought the same thing....the number of casualties wasn't as high as the spectacular crashes we see now. Airplanes still fly....car still roar along the highways....crashes happen.
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@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
17 Oct 17
These days people would probably rather take their chances with a plane just because it's faster.
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