Hindenburg Flight Schedule

I vividly remember my mother holding me at our open window in Stepney London to see a large Airship flying very low over our roof tops it may have been the R101 which passed over London on in October 1930, as I had only just turned one year old then I find it hard to think I could remember this at that age so can you tell me if another Airship would have flew low over London after the R101 I could not have been more than two or three years old so the date would have to be between 1930 and 1932

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I have a question to ask regarding an old hand tinted framed photograph of a zepplin I found recently. The zepplin’s picture was taken over top of the parliment buildings on University avenue in Toronto. The lettering R-100 is clearly visable on the front third of the airship.On the back of the frame thereis writing that says this. R-100 german zepplin,crossed ocean and visited Toronto in late 1920′s, probably 1927. It later burned near New York that same trip. On the bottom right hand side of the pictureis the name Baxter Toronto. Probably the photographers name. I would appreciate any information I could get. Thanking you in advance John

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Hendrick Stoops Reply:
December 7th, 2011 at 5:27 pm

The R-100 was one of two British passenger airships. After it made a roundtrip publicity flight to Toronto, after the R101 crashed in France, it was flattened by a steamroller and sold for scrap.

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Recently I was told by an old friend at the island of Saba (in the Caribbean near St. Maarten and Puerto Rico) that in the late 1930′s an “airship” passed over this remote island and caused quite a panic amongst the isolated population. Reportedly, it had “the large NAZI sign on its side”. If this is correct, it must have been the Hindenburg, but did this airship ever make a trip across the Caribbean? In the published Hindenburg flight schedule I can’t find info on this. I am tempted to think that what actually passed over Saba island was a US Navy blimp and that the “nazi sign” story was inspired by later pictures and stories about the Hindenburg disaster. If so is there a source of info on the use of blimps in US Navy fleet exercises in the Caribbean Sea that would fit the described situation? Thanks for your help. For info: I am not an airship buff, but rather I am writing a history of aviation in the Dutch Antilles islands, of which Saba is one.
Thanks, Jerry Casius, Ysselmuiden, Holland.

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As a small child, I can remember a huge airship traversing the sky from north to south heading into Chicago. It was viewed from the back yard of my home in Zion about 50 miles north of the city. It also had a swastica painted on the tail. I checked this memory out with some other old timers that confirm this memory. If it wasn’t the Hindenberg then what airship could this have been. I’m tinking 1938 or 39.

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Dan (Airships.net) Reply:
March 28th, 2011 at 10:58 am

LZ-127 flew over Chicago in 1933. See:

http://www.airships.net/lz127-graf-zeppelin/history#chicago

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I remember my Dad, 25 years dead now, telling me that his mother, my granny (long dead before I was born) saw the great German airship the Hindenburg passing over. Now she lived in the village of Clough, Co Down in Northern Ireland, north of the Mourne Mountains (as Don McLean sings “Where the mountains of Mourne Flow Down to the Sea”). I have often thought of looking to see if this was possible as Ireland was on the way and it flew I beleive at about 3000 feet.
Now all these years later with the help of your excellent Hindenburg flight path I was able check this. To my delight and wonder I can see that on one of the return flights from the US, the flight path does indeed pass over Ireland and Co Down (3). I could see that locally rather than fly over the Mourne mountains (Slieve Donard is 2,786 feet) it would fly north of them and thus over Clough and indeed she could in fact have seen it. It must have been an amazing sight in those pre-electricity candle light days of rural Ireland.
Can you tell me was this flight path (3), regular or a one off caused by bad weather or something? Thanks for that a precious memory validated and reinforced. Brian

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james reed Reply:
September 21st, 2011 at 9:51 am

I was on holiday near Newgale in Pembrokeshire in 1937 /8 We saw theis airship pass over us about 1000 ft or less.people in the gondola were waving to us.She appeared to go over St Davids Head and we assumed she was on her way to Ireland.Would love confirmation of this trip. I would mention that she passed over Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock which were both bombed heavily in the subsequent war.

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On May 6, 1937, I was living on Fountain Street in South Braintree, MA. I was a little over 3 years old at that time. I was playing across the street from my house near the Whitcombs. At our house we had a few Honey Locust trees which are noted for their thorns and flat seed pods. Their leaves were lacy-like and you could see anything behind it. As I was looking back to our yard, I saw through the trees a huge dirigible (or Zeppelin) flying fairly low from east to west. Several years later during WWII, I had seen blimps that were from the Weymouth Naval Air Station. The aircraft I saw in 1937 was very much larger than the blimps. To this day nearly 74 years later, I can still see in my mind that ship slowly moving west through the Honey Locust tree. Many years later I read an article about the disaster. It said that after arriving in the Boston area, they decided to move south at a low altitude so the people in that area could see the marvelous airship.

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In 1938 or early 1939 my mother and her sister, as small children, were astounded when they saw a Zeppelin flying overhead in Kirkdale in the north end of the City of Liverpool, England. They say it was heading roughly north west, aligning with the River Mersey and its docks. It was flying so low that they could easily see the gondola. Is there any record of this flight? Was it LZ-127? Was it on a pre-war photographic reconnaisance mission for the Luftwaffe or was it more likely to have been a pleasure flight en route to the US?

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Dan (Airships.net) Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 8:42 am

The only airship flying in 1938/1939 was LZ-130, and while it conducted electronic espionage flights directed at the UK I do not believe it traveled as far west as Liverpool; is it possible your mother and aunt saw LZ-129 Hindenburg in 1936?

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R Towner Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 8:52 am

Dan, thanks for your reply. I am told that yes, it is possible that the sighting was in 1936, and therefore was the Hindenburg. From the info on your excellent website we assume that it could have been cruising at an altitude as low as 100 metres and at around 75mph so would have flown over the whole length of Liverpool in only 10 minutes, passing quickly overhead. Am I correct in calculating that the Hindenburg made the transatlantic trip to north america 10 times, all between May and October 1936? Also, do the numbers on the Flight Schedule map correspond with these 10 trips. If so, it looks like the Hindenburg flew over Liverpool either on trip no. 4 (westbound) say June 30th 1936 or on return trips 2 or 3 (eastbound) May 23rd/June 26th. Final question – why does the schedule show the same number of outward/return trips when the airship crashed in the US and did not make it back to Germany? Congratulations on a brilliant site.

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Dan (Airships.net) Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 10:04 am

The map represents the Hindenburg’s 1936 voyages to North America, so the tragic May, 1937 flight is not included. The numbers correspond to the ship’s 1936 North Atlantic crossings.

Thank you for the kind comments.

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I am very glad to have come across this site. Very useful information and I must admit to be a complete Zeppelin nut! Loved this post! Keep up the good work.

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Schmeling – Hindenburg Flights:
In the Flight Schedule it states that Max Schmeling returned to Germany on the Hindenburg on 24 June 1936 after winning the fight with Joe Louis.

But the Passenger’s Diary Entry by passenger Clearence Hall states Schmeling was a passenger going to Lakehurst before the fight. Also this Diary is listed (Passenger description) for the August 5 – August 8 Frankfurt-Lakehurst. This is two months after the fight.

Something is wrong. 1) When did Schmeling come to the states, was it on the Hindenburg and the date? 2) If the Diary is correct what is the date of the Hindenburg flight that Mr Hall was on with Schmeling?

Thanks, Ron

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Dan (Airships.net) Reply:
June 20th, 2010 at 8:46 pm

Max Schmeling returned to Germany in June, 1936, via LZ-129 after defeating Joe Louis.

A few months later Schmeling traveled on LZ-129 again, this time from Germany to America on August 5-8, 1936, in anticipation of a fight with James J. Braddock which was scheduled for September 30, 1936, but which never took place.

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I would like to apologize for my earlier comments regarding the LZ128. I mistakenly said that was it but upon closer examination it is the LZ129. I have been able to determine that one of the autographs on the photo is that of the pilot, but I dont recognize any of the other names. If someone cares to write to me I will send a copy of the photo and perhaps we can identify them. Regards, Chuck Love.

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I just found an exemplar of Max Pruss signature on a post card and it is indeed his autograph on the picture, along with five others but I dont recognize them enough to try to find out who they are. The airship is marked “O-LZ129″ maybe the O is a “D”, it has swastikas on the tail fins and the olympic ring on the side of the ship forward of the LZ129. If anyone is interested I could forward a c opy of the photograph and they may be able to identify the other signatures…Chuck Love

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I currently live in Wiesbaden Germany in an old apartment. My next door neighbor, who has lived in the building for many years, has a file of old photographs taken of and from the building. Two of the pictures are of labeled “Hindenburg, 1937″ and are taken from my balcony. Looks like the Hindenburg to me, headed south over Wiesbaden, Germany. I don’t believe there is an exact date on the photos, but there are leaves on the trees, which mean now earlier than late April. Don’t know if you are interested in a copy….I could Digitize and send then on to you.
Just thought this might be of interest. Let me know

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I have a large, about eleven by sixteen inch photograph of the LZ128, apparently in flight. It also bears about six or seven signed names on the picture. It has swasticas on the tail fins. Write if you are interested. Regards…Chuck Love.

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Hi,

My 95 year old mother was telling me recently that she was working as a secretary in the local Town Hall in the summer of 1936 and recalls being called to the window in order to see the Hindenburg flying over the small market town of Settle, North Yorkshire.
At the time I wondered if her memory could be correct but can see from your information that she was spot on! How amazing. Thankyou for a fascinating website.

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Hello, great info on your site. My mother told me she saw what she thought the Hindenburg going over Rathlin Islandat some point as a child. She was born in 1927 but alas is dead now. Could this have been the Hindenburg as I see on the map flight 4 west bound goes over that part of the north of Ireland and flight 2 towards the east flys over as well.
Thanks for any info.
John

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I was living in Egypt from 1936 till 1940 and was but a young lad. I have somewhere in my mind a recollection of seeing an airship perhaps flying over Cairo. Am I dreaming it or was it true. Can anyone help? were the airships still flying then and what airship would it have been?

John Weeks now 76 years old

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Dan (Airships.net) Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 10:28 am

LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin (1928-1937) visited the area on its Orient Flight to Palestine in 1929, but neither Hindenburg (1936-1937) nor LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin (1938-1939) ever visited Egypt. Perhaps it was a blimp rather than a rigid airship?

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I was looking thru an old family photo album the other day and I found one that I think is the Hindenburg. I don’t think my uncle was anywhere around New York when it was taken. My question is, did the Hindenburg land/dock any where in the south, like maybe Miami?

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Dan (Airships.net) Reply:
January 30th, 2010 at 5:07 pm

Hindenburg never visited Miami. If you have a photo of an airship in Miami that generally resembled Hindenburg (in terms of size and shape), it was likely USS Macon at Opa Locka. LZ-127 also visited Opa Locka, although Graf Zeppelin is visibly different from Hindenburg in terms of general appearance. If you would like to send me a high-resolution scan of the photo (or if you can give me the precise date of the photo) I will be very happy to identify the airship for you.

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Jared Reply:
January 30th, 2010 at 10:30 pm

As soon as I get my scanner up and running I’ll send you a scan. I should have mentioned it in my earlier question, I do know its from Germany, you can clearly see the swastikas on the top and bottom tail fins, sorry. I could be wrong on the location of the photo. Once again, i’ll send you a scan once I can get it up and running again.

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Dan, my great grandfather was on the September 22, 1936 voyage and I have the passenger list along with a small photo. Would copies of any of these records be helpful to your site? Thank you.

Mike Bartnett

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Dan (Airships.net) Reply:
December 26th, 2009 at 12:20 pm

That would be great! And I would be happy to add your photo and a scan of the passenger list to the site with your permission.

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what was the actual departure time at Frankfort on May 3rd

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Dan (Airships.net) Reply:
November 28th, 2009 at 8:41 pm

LZ-129 departed Frankfurt at 19:16 (7:16 PM) on May 3, 1937.

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Would it have been possible for the Hindenburg to have passed by Frankenthal on her way from or to Frankfurt in 1937? I was a very small child then and remember this so vividly, but am not sure if it is reality or imagination. I remember my father excitedly calling me to see this huge oval flying object in the sky passing by our veranda and telling me that this Zeppellin is of major technical significance. I would very much appreciate an answer.

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Dan (Airships.net) Reply:
July 13th, 2009 at 10:28 pm

Hindenburg made several flights in the Frankfurt area in early 1937, and Frankenthal is only about 100km from Frankfurt, so it is certainly possible.

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I was also wondering if you could give me some information on the Millionaires Flight, that would be a great help. There isn’t much information about events and flights other than the Hindenburg disaster out there on the web.

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Dan (Airships.net) Reply:
May 10th, 2009 at 3:54 pm

Hi Kyle.

I have been planning to publish a short page about the “Millionaires Flight” anyway, so in response to your request, I went ahead and prepared it.

I hope this helps!

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Jon I love the website and it helped with my research project.

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oh!!! thank you so much!!! And thanks for answering quick too!! This website really really helps. Which flights do you think were the most important though?

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Dan (Airships.net) Reply:
April 26th, 2009 at 5:18 pm

@ Julia:

What a fascinating question, about which flights were most important! But that’s a hard question to answer, because it depends on importance in which regard; technological, historical, political, etc.? In a sense, I guess the easy answer is that the last flight was the most important, historically, because it brought almost four decades of zeppelin travel to an immediate end. But one could have a lot of fun discussing that question and debating the various answers.

If you like, tell us a little more about your project; what you are discussing, where you are finding your information, what (if anything) your project is trying to prove, where you are at school, what class/year you are in; just anything you might like to share with other readers.

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This is very helpful. Also, if possible, the officers or even the passengers on the flight of June 24, 1936 to Frankfurt would be helpful. Also on your schedule, it shows this flight ending July 26. Was that a mistake?? I have a post card, addressed to my mother, postmarked on 24.6.1936 on the Hindenburg and I believe it is from the co-pilot but not sure. I cannot read the last name but the first name looks to be Harry J.. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you in advance John

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Dan (Airships.net) Reply:
April 13th, 2009 at 12:04 pm

@ John:

The flight you mention landed in Frankfurt at 4:30 PM Frankfurt time on June 26, 1936. (The previous typo has been corrected.)

As the ship was German, there were no officers named “Harry.” < G > The commander on that flight was Hugo Eckener, and the watch officers were Max Pruss, Albert Sammt, and Heinrich Bauer.

If your autograph reads “Harry J” it is most likely Harry J. Schneiders, who was a passenger on the flight.

(Unfortunately I don’t have time at the moment to type in the complete list of passengers, which included boxer Max Schmeling on his return to Germany after knocking out Joe Louis on June 19, 1936 in New York. Typing in complete passenger lists is a goal of mine, but one which will unfortunately have to wait, as this website is an unpaid labor of love.)

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THANK YOU DAN!!!
This is exactly what I was looking for
Phil

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