This article is about the famous airship. For other uses, see Graf Zeppelin. 
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin in flight | | Career |
 | | Designer: | Ludwig Dürr | | Designed: | Unknown | | Manufacturer: | Luftschiffbau Zeppelin | | Manufactured: | 1928 | | Maiden flight: | 18 September 1928 | | Fate: | Last flight 18 June 1937; scrapped March 1940 | | General characteristics | | Crew: | 40[1] | | Passengers: | 20[1] | | Length: | 236.53 metres (776.0 ft) | | Diameter: | 30.48 metres (100.0 ft) | | Gas type: | Hydrogen | | Gas capacity: | 105,000 cubic metres (3,700,000 cu ft) | | Disposable lift: | 60 metric tonnes | | Power plant: | 5 x 550 horsepower (410 kW) Maybach engines | | Max speed: | 128 kilometres per hour (80 mph) (69.5 knots) | The LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was a large dirigible, or more specifically, a rigid airship in the early 20th century. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who held the rank of Graf or Count in the German nobility (in German usage the "von" in a name is omitted when a title such as "Graf" is employed). Graf Zeppelin, filled with abundant hydrogen, circumnavigated the globe. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_(2-3). ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ...
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH is a German company which, during the early 20th century, was a leader in the design and manufacture of rigid airships. ...
is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 169th day of the year (170th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
This article is about the chemistry of hydrogen. ...
Several Maybach 57 and 62 models at the 2005 Concours dElegance in Pebble Beach, CA. Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH (IPA: ), founded by Wilhelm Maybach and his son Karl, was a German manufacturer of engines for Zeppelins and later, large and luxurious automobiles. ...
USS Akron (ZRS-4) in flight, November 2, 1931 An airship or dirigible is a buoyant lighter-than-air aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air. ...
For other uses, see Graf Zeppelin (disambiguation). ...
For other uses, see Graf (disambiguation). ...
Design and development The LZ-127 was originally planned to exploit the latest technology in airships, building on the advances of the earlier LZ-126. Dr. Eckener had to campaign for its construction and only after two years of lobbying, construction proceeded at the Zeppelin works, Luftschiffbau Zeppelin at Friedrichshafen in Germany. Friedrichshafen is a town on the northern side of Lake Constance (Bodensee) in southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria. ...
It flew for the first time on 18 September 1928[2] and, with a total length of 236.6 metres (776 ft) and volume of 105,000 cubic metres (3,700,000 cu ft), was the largest airship up to that time. It was powered by five Maybach 550 horsepower (410 kW) engines[2] that could burn either Blau gas or gasoline[3]. The ship achieved a maximum speed of 128 kilometre per hour (kmh) operating at total maximum thrust of 2,650 horsepower (1,980 kW), which reduced to the normal cruising speed of 117 km/h when running with normal thrust of 2,150 horsepower (1,600 kW), ignoring wind speeds.[3] Some flights were made using only Blau gas, and for this purpose 12 gas cells were used with a total volume up to 30 thousand cubic metres. That amount allowed around 100 hours at cruising speed. The gasoline tank had a maximum capacity for 67 hours cruise. Using both gasoline and Blau gas could give 118 hours cruise. is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
This article is about the unit of length. ...
A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...
The cubic meter (symbol m³) is the SI derived unit of volume. ...
It has been suggested that Thousand Cubic Feet be merged into this article or section. ...
Several Maybach 57 and 62 models at the 2005 Concours dElegance in Pebble Beach, CA. Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH (IPA: ), founded by Wilhelm Maybach and his son Karl, was a German manufacturer of engines for Zeppelins and later, large and luxurious automobiles. ...
Blau gas as of 1935 was an artificial illuminating gas, manufactured by decomposing mineral oils in retorts by heat, and compressing the resulting gas till it liquefies; it is transported in this condition, and on releasing the pressure assumes again the gaseous state, in which form, it is utilised both...
Petrol redirects here. ...
Generally the LZ 127 had a usable payload capacity of 15 thousand kilograms for a 10 thousand kilometres cruise.[3]
Initially it was to be used for experimental and demonstration purposes to prepare the way for regular airship traveling, but also carried passengers and mail to cover the costs. Airmail imprint on an envelope (Thailand) Airmail (or air mail) is mail that is transported by aircraft. ...
Two small wind power generators were attached to the main gondola on swinging arms, one of which served the radio room. Accumulators stored the electrical energy produced so that radio operation was independent of airspeed. The other generator served for passenger lighting and as a reserve.[4] Furthermore the gondala had a gasoline emergency generator.
Radio equipment The Graf's radio room was outfitted with the most modern radio equipment for an airship at the time.[4] Three radio officers served there communicating with ground stations and ships, performing radio navigation,[4] receiving weather reports as well as sending private telegrams for passengers.[1] A one kilowatt valve transmitter (about 140 Watt antenna power) was used to send telegrams over the longwave band of 500 to 3000 metre.[4] An emergency transmitter with 70 Watt antenna power was available for both telegraph and radio telephone, using 300 to 1300 metre wavelengths, powered either by the accumulator or the gasoline generator.[4] Radio navigation is the application of radio frequencies to determining a position on the earth. ...
Telegraph and Telegram redirect here. ...
For other uses, see Watt (disambiguation). ...
For other uses, see Watt (disambiguation). ...
Low Frequency or LF refers to Radio Frequencies (RF) in the range of 30–300 kHz. ...
The main antenna comprised two 120 metre long wires, with lead weights at their ends. They could be lowered by electric motor or hand crank. The emergency antenna was a 40 metre wire stretched from a ring on the airship hull.[4]
Three high quality receivers, each with six valves, served the wavelength ranges 120 to 1200 metre (Medium frequency), 400 to 4000 metre (Low frequency) and 3000 to 25000 metre (overlapping Low frequency and Very low frequency).[4] Medium frequency (MF) refers to radio frequencies (RF) in the range of 300 kHz to 3000 kHz. ...
Low Frequency or LF refers to Radio Frequencies (RF) in the range of 30–300 kHz. ...
Low Frequency or LF refers to Radio Frequencies (RF) in the range of 30–300 kHz. ...
Very low frequency or VLF refers to radio frequencies (RF) in the range of 3 to 30 kHz. ...
Additionally the room had a shortwave receiver for wavelengths 10 to 280 metre (High frequency).[4] High frequency (HF) radio frequencies are between 3 and 30 MHz. ...
A modern direction finder, as was then used for radio navigation in large passenger ships, used a steerable ring antenna to determine the airship's position from any two radio transmitters either land or ship-based.[4]
Operational history In October 1928 the first long-range voyage led the craft to Lakehurst, New Jersey, in the United States, and the crew was welcomed enthusiastically with confetti parades in New York and invitations to the White House. During that trip the radio room had sent 484 private telegrams and 160 press telegrams.[4] Later Graf Zeppelin toured in Germany and visited Italy, Palestine and Spain. A second trip to the United States was aborted in France due to engine failure in May 1929. Lakehurst is a borough located in Ocean County, New Jersey. ...
New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...
For other uses, see White House (disambiguation). ...
Flag The approximate borders of the British Mandate circa 1922. ...
Location of Helsinki in Northern Europe Coordinates: , Country Province Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Charter 1550 Capital city 1812 Government - Mayor Jussi Pajunen Area - Total 187. ...
Round-the-World Flight In August 1929, LZ 127 departed for another daring enterprise — a complete circumnavigation of the globe. The growing popularity of the "giant of the air" made it easy for Zeppelin company chief Dr. Hugo Eckener to find sponsors. One of these was the American press tycoon William Randolph Hearst, who requested the tour to officially start at Lakehurst Naval Air Station, NJ.[5] As with the October 1928 flight to New York, Hearst had placed a reporter, Grace Marguerite Hay Drummond-Hay, on board, who thereby became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe by air. Dr. Hugo Eckener (August 10, 1868–August 14, 1954) was the old man of the Zeppelin airship company. ...
For other people named William Randolph Hearst, see William Randolph Hearst (disambiguation) William Randolph Hearst I (April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper magnate. ...
Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst (NAES Lakehurst), New Jersey, formerly the Lakehurst Naval Air Station then the Naval Air Engineering Center Lakehurst. ...
Grace Marguerite Lethbridge Lady Grace Marguerite Hay Drummond-Hay (born Grace Marguerite Lethbridge, 1 September 1895 in Hampstead, Liverpool - 12 February 1946 in Manhattan) was the first woman to travel around the world by air, in a Zeppelin. ...
Starting there on 8 August, Graf Zeppelin flew across the Atlantic back to Friedrichshafen. She stopped there to refuel before continuing across vast Siberia to another stop in Tokyo. Dr. Eckener believed that some of the lands they crossed in Siberia had never before been seen by modern explorers. From Japan, the Graf Zeppelin continued across the Pacific to San Francisco, before heading south to stop at Los Angeles. This was the first ever nonstop flight of any aircraft across the Pacific Ocean. The ship continued thence across the United States, over Chicago and back to Lakehurst NAS on 29 August. The entire voyage took 21 days, 5 hours and 31 minutes. Including the initial and final trips from Friedrichshafen to Lakehurst NAS and back, the dirigible travelled 49,618 km (30,831 miles). The distance travelled between departure from Lakehurst NAS and return to Lakehurst NAS was 31,400 km (19,500 miles). is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Friedrichshafen is a town on the northern side of Lake Constance (Bodensee) in southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria. ...
This article is about Siberia as a whole. ...
For other uses, see Tokyo (disambiguation). ...
San Francisco redirects here. ...
Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ...
For other uses, see Chicago (disambiguation). ...
is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
One of Hearst's guests on board was the newlywed couple; the Arctic explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins and his bride Suzanne Bennett. The trip was given to them as a wedding gift. Sir George Hubert Wilkins (1888-1958) circa 1948 For the seventeenth century English dramatist and pamphleteer George Hubert Wilkins, see George Wilkins. ...
 US postage stamp, issued 1930 for air mail Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x561, 199 KB) Scan of United States 64c airmail Zeppelin stamp of 1930, made by User:Stan Shebs File links The following pages link to this file: Postage stamps and postal history of the United States Zeppelin mail LZ 127 Graf...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x561, 199 KB) Scan of United States 64c airmail Zeppelin stamp of 1930, made by User:Stan Shebs File links The following pages link to this file: Postage stamps and postal history of the United States Zeppelin mail LZ 127 Graf...
Airmail (or air mail) is mail that is transported by aircraft. ...
Golden age In the following year, Graf Zeppelin undertook a number of trips around Europe, and following a successful tour to South America in May 1930, it was decided to open the first regular transatlantic airship line. The ship pursued another spectacular destination in July 1931 with a research trip to the Arctic; this had already been a dream of Count Zeppelin twenty years earlier, which could not, however, be realized at the time due to the outbreak of war. In October 1933, the Graf Zeppelin made an appearance at the Century of Progress World’s Fair in Chicago. Despite the beginning of the Great Depression and growing competition by fixed-wing aircraft, LZ 127 would transport an increasing number of passengers and mail across the ocean every year until 1936. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...
South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...
For other uses, see Transatlantic (disambiguation). ...
For the ships, see USS Arctic, SS Arctic, MV Arctic The red line indicates the 10°C isotherm in July, sometimes used to define the Arctic region border Artificially coloured topographical map of the Arctic region The Arctic is the region around the Earths North Pole, opposite the Antarctic...
A 1933 Century of Progress worlds fair poster The Century of Progress International Exposition was a Worlds Fair held in Chicago, Illinois from 1933-1934 to celebrate Chicagos centennial. ...
For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ...
 Many people were needed to hold down the LZ 127. Note the wind generator just under the radio room window. Eckener intended to supplement the successful craft by another, similar Zeppelin, projected as LZ 128. However the disastrous accident of the British passenger airship R101 in 1931 led the Zeppelin company to reconsider the safety of hydrogen-filled vessels, and the design was abandoned in favor of a new project. LZ 129, which was to eventually be named the Hindenburg, would advance Zeppelin technology considerably and was intended to be filled with helium. After the Hindenburg disaster the story arose that an embargo imposed by the United States because of the looming war prevented German access to the required large quantities of helium, leading to the conversion of the Hindenburg to a hydrogen design. However it is now known that Eckener was successful in lobbying the U.S. government for the purchase of helium but ruled it out on financial grounds.[citation needed] The R101 Airship was a British airship that crashed on October 5, 1930, in France, during its maiden voyage, killing 48 people. ...
This article is about the chemistry of hydrogen. ...
The Hindenburg redirects here. ...
General Name, symbol, number helium, He, 2 Chemical series noble gases Group, period, block 18, 1, s Appearance colorless Standard atomic weight 4. ...
For delayed access after publication, see Embargo (academic publishing). ...
End of an Era After the Hindenburg disaster in 1937, public faith in the security of dirigibles was shattered, and flying passengers in hydrogen-filled vessels became untenable. LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was retired one month past the disaster and turned into a museum. The end for the Graf Zeppelin came with the outbreak of World War II. In March 1940, Hermann Göring, the German Air Minister (Reichsluftfahrtminister), ordered the destruction of the remaining dirigibles, and the aluminium parts were fed into the German war industry. LZ 129 Hindenburg was a German zeppelin. ...
Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
(January 12, 1893 – October 15, 1946) was a German politician and military leader, a leading member of the Nazi Party, second in command of the Third Reich, designated successor to Adolf Hitler, and commander of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force). ...
Legacy During its career, the ship flew more than one and half million kilometres (over a million miles), 590 flights, and made 144 ocean crossings (143 across the Atlantic, one across the Pacific) carrying 13,110 passengers[6] with a perfect passenger safety record, making it the most successful rigid airship ever built.[2]
As evidence of how it caught the imagination of the world, a number of countries issued postage stamps either commemorating flights of the Zeppelin or for use on this (and later) airships. Some are fairly common, others quite rare. A considerable number of covers (envelopes) carried on flights still exist and are avidly collected. This 1974 stamp from Japan depicts a Class 8620 steam locomotive. ...
See also Zeppelins are types of rigid airships pioneered by German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century, based in part on an earlier design by aviation pioneer David Schwarz. ...
The Graf Zeppelin (LZ 130) was the last of the great Zeppelins built by the Zeppelin Luftschiffbau during the period between the World Wars. ...
This is a complete list of Zeppelins constructed by the original German Zeppelin companies from 1900 until 1938. ...
Citations TIME redirects here. ...
References - Brewer, G. Daniel (1991), Hydrogen Aircraft Technology, CRC Press, ISBN 0849358388
- Busch, Heinrich (2006-08-14), Funkverkehr auf dem Luftschiff LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin, <http://www.seefunknetz.de/lzzep.htm> (German)
- Puget Sound Airship Society (2007), Zeppelin Airships 1918-1940, <http://www.pugetairship.org/zeppelins/list_3.html> - shows gondola in plan and elevation
- Scherz, Walter (2003), Bau und Einrichtung des Luftschiffes "Graf Zeppelin", <http://jadu.de/luftfahrt/zeppelin/text/bau/bau.html> (German) - shows LZ127 in construction
- wikipedia.de (2008-02-16), LZ 127, <http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=LZ_127&oldid=42587055> (German) Wikipedia contributors to de.wikipedia.org
Bibliography - Archbold, Rick. Hindenburg: An Illustrated History. Toronto: Viking Studio/Madison Press, 1994. ISBN 0-670-85225-2.
- Botting, Douglas. Dr. Eckener's Dream Machine: The Great Zeppelin and the Dawn of Air Travel. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 2001. ISBN 0-80506-458-3.
- Dick, Harold G. and Robinson, Douglas H. The Golden Age of the Great Passenger Airships Graf Zeppelin & Hindenburg. Washington, D.C. and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1985. ISBN 1-56098-219-5.
- Duggan, John. LZ 129 "Hindenburg": The Complete Story. Ickenham, UK: Zeppelin Study Group, 2002. ISBN 0-9514114-8-9.
- "Honors to Dr. Hugo Eckener: The First Airship Flight Around the World." National Geographic Magazine, Vol. LVII, No. 6, June 1930, p. 653-688.
- Lehmann, Ernst. Zeppelin: The Story of Lighter-than-air Craft. London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1937.
The National Geographic Magazine, later shortened to National Geographic, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. ...
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: | Luftschiffbau Zeppelin airships | before World War I: LZ1 · LZ2 · LZ3 to LX25
during World War I: LZ26 to LZ103 · LZ104 · LZ105 to LZ119 ·
after World War I: LZ120 to LZ125 · LZ126 · LZ127 · LZ128 · LZ129 · LZ130 · LZ131 Pathé Newsreels were produced from 1910 until mid-1956, when the newsreels in general stopped production. ...
This article is about the Brazilian city. ...
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH is a German company which, during the early 20th century, was a leader in the design and manufacture of rigid airships. ...
This is a complete list of Zeppelins constructed by the original German Zeppelin companies from 1900 until 1938. ...
This is a complete list of Zeppelins constructed by the original German Zeppelin companies from 1900 until 1938. ...
This is a complete list of Zeppelins constructed by the original German Zeppelin companies from 1900 until 1938. ...
This is a complete list of Zeppelins constructed by the original German Zeppelin companies from 1900 until 1938. ...
This is a complete list of Zeppelins constructed by the original German Zeppelin companies from 1900 until 1938. ...
This is a complete list of Zeppelins constructed by the original German Zeppelin companies from 1900 until 1938. ...
The USS Los Angeles flying over southern Manhattan The USS Los Angeles was an airship, designated ZR-3, that was built in 1923-1924 by the Zeppelin factory in Friedrichshafen, Germany, where it was originally designated LZ-126. ...
This is a complete list of Zeppelins constructed by the original German Zeppelin companies from 1900 until 1938. ...
The Hindenburg redirects here. ...
The Graf Zeppelin (LZ 130) was the last of the great Zeppelins built by the Zeppelin Luftschiffbau during the period between the World Wars. ...
This is a complete list of Zeppelins constructed by the original German Zeppelin companies from 1900 until 1938. ...
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