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 Graf Zeppelin II. LZ127 Graf Zeppelin, the most travelled airship in history A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship (or dirigible) pioneered by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century based on an earlier design by David Schwarz. ... Graf Zeppelin, filled with abundant hydrogen, circumnavigated the globe. ...

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. On May 6, 1937, at 1825 local time, the German zeppelin LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire while approaching a mooring mast at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. ...

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. Hugo Eckener (May 10, 1868 - August 14, 1954) was the old man of the Zeppelin airship company. ... Nickname: the District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Official website: http://www. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only person to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ... Harold LeClair Ickes (March 15, 1874–February 3, 1952) was a U.S. administrator and political figure. ...

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 (575 mi). Friedrichshafen is a town on the northern side of Lake Constance (Bodensee) in southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: München (pronounced listen) is the state capital of the German Bundesland of Bavaria. ... Augsburg is a city in south-central Germany. ... Ulm is a city in the German Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg (about 100 km south-east of Stuttgart). ...

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. (help· info) (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 and Führer (Leader) of Germany from 1934 until his death. ... Combatants Allies: • Soviet Union, • UK & Commonwealth, • USA, • France/Free France, • China, • Poland, • ...and others Axis: • Germany, • Japan, • Italy, • ...and others Commanders Strength Casualties Full list Full list World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a large scale military conflict that took place between 1939 and 1945. ...

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. Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (also Goering in English) (January 12, 1893 – October 15, 1946) was an early member of the Nazi party, leader of the Gestapo, and one of the main leaders of Nazi Germany. ... Frankfurt am Main [ˈfraŋkfʊrt] is the largest city in the German state of Hessen and the fifth largest city of Germany. ... On May 6, 1937, at 1825 local time, the German zeppelin LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire while approaching a mooring mast at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. ...

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 (985 hp)
• Maximum speed: 131 km/h (81 mph)

Daimler-Benz AG was founded on May 1, 1924 by the merger of Benz & Cie. ...

See also

• Zeppelin
• List of Zeppelins