LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin

The Graf Zeppelin (LZ 130) was the last of the great Zeppelins built by the Zeppelin Luftschiffbau during the period between the World Wars. She was the second ship to carry the designation "Graf Zeppelin" (after the LZ 127), and thus she is sometimes referred to as the Graf Zeppelin II.

Design and Construction

LZ 130 was the sister ship of the Hindenburg (LZ 129). Her design and construction were nearly identical to her predecessor: at 245 meters in length, these two ships remain the largest flying craft in history.

The design of LZ 130 incorporated a few improvements over the design of the Hindenburg. Most visibly, the engine pods were completely redesigned, using tractor engines spinning three-bladed propellers. The engines also had a water recovery system which captured the exhaust of the engines to prevent the ship from losing weight during flight. The gas cells were lightened and one (of fourteen) was made of lightweight silk instead of cotton. With these improvements, LZ 130 can be regarded as the most technologically advanced rigid airship ever flown.

The Graf Zeppelin was originally designed to use hydrogen as lifting gas. After the Hindenburg disaster, however, Hugo Eckener vowed never to use hydrogen in a passenger airship again. Instead, he planned to use helium (which, ironically, had originally been planned for the Hindenburg). The only source of helium in large enough quantities was found in the United States, so Eckener proceeded immediately to Washington, D.C. to lobby for helium for his airships. He went so far as to visit President Roosevelt himself, who promised to supply helium, but only for peaceful purposes. After the annexation of Austria in March of 1938, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes refused to supply helium. The Graf Zeppelin's fourteen gas cells were ultimately inflated with hydrogen.

The keel of LZ 130 was laid on June 23, 1936, and the cells were inflated with hydrogen on August 15, 1938.

Flights

By the time the Graf Zeppelin was completed, it was obvious that the ship would never serve its intended purpose as a passenger liner; the lack of a supply of inert helium was one cause. The ship was christened and made her first flight on September 14, 1938, making a circuit from Friedrichshafen to München, Augsburg, Ulm, and back. The total distance covered was 925 km.

The Graf Zeppelin ultimately flew a total of thirty missions, many for the Luftwaffe. She touched down on her last flight at 9:38 p.m. on August 20, 1939, ending the age of rigid airships. This was just 10 days before Adolf Hitler invaded Poland, triggering the start of the Second World War.

The End of the Airships

In April, 1940, Hermann Göring issued the order to scrap both Graf Zeppelins and the unfinished framework of LZ 131, since the metal was needed for aircraft. By April 27, work crews had finished cutting up the airships. On May 6, the enormous airship hangars in Frankfurt were leveled by explosives, three years to the day after the destruction of the Hindenburg.

Specifications

• Length: 245 m (804 ft)
• Max. Diameter: 41.2 m (135 ft)
• Volume: 200,000 m³ (7,000,000 ft³)
• Lifting Gas: Hydrogen
• Powerplant: 4 x Daimler-Benz 16-cylinder diesel
  • Normal Power: 558 kW (748 hp)
  • Full Power: 735 kW (1010 hp)
• Maximum Speed: 131 km/h (81 mph)