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LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin
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LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin (Deutsches Luftschiff Zeppelin #130; Registration: D-LZ 130) was the last of the German rigid airships built by Zeppelin Luftschiffbau during the period between the World Wars, the second and final ship of the Hindenburg class, and the second zeppelin to carry the name "Graf Zeppelin" (after the LZ 127) and thus often referred to as Graf Zeppelin II. Due to the United States' refusal to export helium to Germany, Graf Zeppelin II was inflated with hydrogen and therefore never carried commercial passengers. It made 30 flights over 11 months in 1938–39, many being propaganda publicity flights; staff of the Reich Air Ministry were aboard to conduct radio surveillance and measurements. The airship, along with LZ 127 were both scrapped in April 1940, and their duralumin framework salvaged to build aircraft for the Luftwaffe.
Graf Zeppelin II was virtually identical to Hindenburg, and was originally designed to use hydrogen as lifting gas.[citation needed] The LZ 130 was built to replace the aging LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin on the South American transatlantic route while Hindenburg would continue flying the North American route. Following the Hindenburg disaster in May 1937, Dr Hugo Eckener vowed never again to use hydrogen in a passenger airship. This led to modifications so that Graf Zeppelin II could be inflated with helium. The only source of helium in large enough quantities at that time was the United States, so Eckener traveled to Washington, D.C. to lobby for helium for his airships. He visited President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who promised to supply helium, but only for peaceful purposes. After the German annexation of Austria in March 1938, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes refused to supply helium, and Graf Zeppelin II was ultimately inflated with hydrogen.
Though the LZ 130 was nearly identical in design to the LZ 129, there were a few minor improvements. The tail fins were 60 cm (24 in) shorter and the number of intermediate ribs was reduced to save weight and reduce stress on the trailing edge of the fin. As the ship was designed for hydrogen, there would be additional "luxury cabins" with windows on the starboard side allowing for a total of 70 passengers (this was added to Hindenburg over the winter of 1936–1937). The lower fin had an upward curve similar to Hindenburg's final configuration (repairs made after a tailstrike incident during the propaganda flight on March 26, 1936), giving more ground clearance. To further reduce weight, the girder shape and riveting were changed slightly. The four engine cars were initially designed and installed to have the same pusher configuration as Hindenburg; after the Hindenburg disaster, they were completely redesigned, using the same DB-602 diesel engines powering tractor propellers. The new gondolas were slightly larger to accommodate the new exhaust water recovery system and were better insulated than those on Hindenburg, with engine noise noticeably reduced. The water recovery system condensed the water vapor in the engine exhaust and stored them which compensated for the weight of fuel consumed during flight and eliminated the need to vent any lifting gas. In later flights, the airship used variable-pitch three-bladed propellers on both rear engines; trials were run on the forward port engine car as the ship neared completion, but only the aft-port engine car had a three-bladed propeller on its first flight. Unlike the wooden propellers of Hindenburg, which had problems with moisture absorption causing imbalance, these three-bladed propellers were made of plastic wood and individual blades were assembled onto a main hub.
The 16 gas cells were lightened and one was made of lightweight silk instead of cotton. On the bow near the nose cone there were just two windows, as in Hindenburg's original design (more windows were later fitted to Hindenburg after test flights.). The German investigation on the Hindenburg disaster suggested the poor conductivity of Hindenburg's outer skin played a role in the ignition of hydrogen. As a result, the cords connecting the panels were treated with graphite to increase the outer covering's electrical conductivity. Other redesigns included the gas vent hoods, gondola windows and the landing wheel design.
The interior of Graf Zeppelin II was markedly different from Hindenburg; the passenger decks were completely redesigned to accommodate 40 passengers, compared to Hindenburg's 72. Viewed externally, the promenade windows were half a longitudinal panel lower compared to Hindenburg. The twenty cabins were more spacious and had better lighting compared to those of Hindenburg; thirteen of them had windows, and four of them were "luxury cabins" on the upper "B" deck. Instead of two passenger decks, Graf Zeppelin II had one and a half, divided into four sections. The "A" deck consisted of the dining room along the central rear section of the passenger quarters, slightly elevated from the "B" deck running along the upper promenade windows, which contained lounges, smoking room and the luxury cabins. Sixteen passenger cabins as well as the galley and passenger lavatories were located in Deck "C". Deck "D", at the rear of the lower deck, contained the officer's mess, crew's mess and lavatories, as well as the radio and electrical rooms.
23 June 1936 – The keel of the airship was laid and the main rings were fastened onto the roof of the hangar. Although the first few rings were assembled within the hangar, a separate ring assembly shed was completed soon after, and rings were constructed and transported from the shed to the hangar using tracks on the field.
14 February 1937 – The nose cone was installed. In the same month, the fabric was also applied over the framework.
6 May 1937 – The LZ 129 Hindenburg bursts into flames and crashes while landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 out of 97 people on board and one member of the US Navy ground crew. Although the LZ 130 had intended to be launched later in the year with a passenger flight route to Rio de Janeiro on 27 October, the plan was cancelled after the loss of Hindenburg and prompted several alterations of the LZ 130, such that its construction would be further delayed.
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LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin (Deutsches Luftschiff Zeppelin #130; Registration: D-LZ 130) was the last of the German rigid airships built by Zeppelin Luftschiffbau during the period between the World Wars, the second and final ship of the Hindenburg class, and the second zeppelin to carry the name "Graf Zeppelin" (after the LZ 127) and thus often referred to as Graf Zeppelin II. Due to the United States' refusal to export helium to Germany, Graf Zeppelin II was inflated with hydrogen and therefore never carried commercial passengers. It made 30 flights over 11 months in 1938–39, many being propaganda publicity flights; staff of the Reich Air Ministry were aboard to conduct radio surveillance and measurements. The airship, along with LZ 127 were both scrapped in April 1940, and their duralumin framework salvaged to build aircraft for the Luftwaffe.
Graf Zeppelin II was virtually identical to Hindenburg, and was originally designed to use hydrogen as lifting gas.[citation needed] The LZ 130 was built to replace the aging LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin on the South American transatlantic route while Hindenburg would continue flying the North American route. Following the Hindenburg disaster in May 1937, Dr Hugo Eckener vowed never again to use hydrogen in a passenger airship. This led to modifications so that Graf Zeppelin II could be inflated with helium. The only source of helium in large enough quantities at that time was the United States, so Eckener traveled to Washington, D.C. to lobby for helium for his airships. He visited President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who promised to supply helium, but only for peaceful purposes. After the German annexation of Austria in March 1938, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes refused to supply helium, and Graf Zeppelin II was ultimately inflated with hydrogen.
Though the LZ 130 was nearly identical in design to the LZ 129, there were a few minor improvements. The tail fins were 60 cm (24 in) shorter and the number of intermediate ribs was reduced to save weight and reduce stress on the trailing edge of the fin. As the ship was designed for hydrogen, there would be additional "luxury cabins" with windows on the starboard side allowing for a total of 70 passengers (this was added to Hindenburg over the winter of 1936–1937). The lower fin had an upward curve similar to Hindenburg's final configuration (repairs made after a tailstrike incident during the propaganda flight on March 26, 1936), giving more ground clearance. To further reduce weight, the girder shape and riveting were changed slightly. The four engine cars were initially designed and installed to have the same pusher configuration as Hindenburg; after the Hindenburg disaster, they were completely redesigned, using the same DB-602 diesel engines powering tractor propellers. The new gondolas were slightly larger to accommodate the new exhaust water recovery system and were better insulated than those on Hindenburg, with engine noise noticeably reduced. The water recovery system condensed the water vapor in the engine exhaust and stored them which compensated for the weight of fuel consumed during flight and eliminated the need to vent any lifting gas. In later flights, the airship used variable-pitch three-bladed propellers on both rear engines; trials were run on the forward port engine car as the ship neared completion, but only the aft-port engine car had a three-bladed propeller on its first flight. Unlike the wooden propellers of Hindenburg, which had problems with moisture absorption causing imbalance, these three-bladed propellers were made of plastic wood and individual blades were assembled onto a main hub.
The 16 gas cells were lightened and one was made of lightweight silk instead of cotton. On the bow near the nose cone there were just two windows, as in Hindenburg's original design (more windows were later fitted to Hindenburg after test flights.). The German investigation on the Hindenburg disaster suggested the poor conductivity of Hindenburg's outer skin played a role in the ignition of hydrogen. As a result, the cords connecting the panels were treated with graphite to increase the outer covering's electrical conductivity. Other redesigns included the gas vent hoods, gondola windows and the landing wheel design.
The interior of Graf Zeppelin II was markedly different from Hindenburg; the passenger decks were completely redesigned to accommodate 40 passengers, compared to Hindenburg's 72. Viewed externally, the promenade windows were half a longitudinal panel lower compared to Hindenburg. The twenty cabins were more spacious and had better lighting compared to those of Hindenburg; thirteen of them had windows, and four of them were "luxury cabins" on the upper "B" deck. Instead of two passenger decks, Graf Zeppelin II had one and a half, divided into four sections. The "A" deck consisted of the dining room along the central rear section of the passenger quarters, slightly elevated from the "B" deck running along the upper promenade windows, which contained lounges, smoking room and the luxury cabins. Sixteen passenger cabins as well as the galley and passenger lavatories were located in Deck "C". Deck "D", at the rear of the lower deck, contained the officer's mess, crew's mess and lavatories, as well as the radio and electrical rooms.
23 June 1936 – The keel of the airship was laid and the main rings were fastened onto the roof of the hangar. Although the first few rings were assembled within the hangar, a separate ring assembly shed was completed soon after, and rings were constructed and transported from the shed to the hangar using tracks on the field.
14 February 1937 – The nose cone was installed. In the same month, the fabric was also applied over the framework.
6 May 1937 – The LZ 129 Hindenburg bursts into flames and crashes while landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 out of 97 people on board and one member of the US Navy ground crew. Although the LZ 130 had intended to be launched later in the year with a passenger flight route to Rio de Janeiro on 27 October, the plan was cancelled after the loss of Hindenburg and prompted several alterations of the LZ 130, such that its construction would be further delayed.
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