Other than the control car, the crew and work areas aboard Hindenburg were primarily located along the keel, including officer and crew sleeping quarters, the radio room, post office, electrical room, work rooms, and rope handling areas for the mooring lines.
Hindenburg keel – plan view (Drawing courtesy David Fowler)
Fuel, fresh water, and ballast tanks were also located along the keel, as were cargo storage areas. The keel also offered access to the engine cars, and the auxiliary control and docking station in the tail, and ladders at Rings 62, 123.5, and 188 offered access to the axial catwalk at the center of the ship. A section of B Deck included Hindenburg’s kitchen and separate mess areas for the officers and crew.
Hindenburg Radio Room, Electrical Room, and Crew Sleeping Quarters
The area along the keel toward the bow of the ship included Hindenburg’s radio room, electrical room, and sleeping quarters for certain members of the crew.
Hindenburg keel, forward
Hindenburg Radio Room
Hindenburg’s radio room contained both long wave and short wave 200 watt radios, powered by batteries, which allowed the ship to communicate both telegraphically (by morse code) and also by voice.
Hindenburg’s long wave trasmitter had a 120 meter (393 foot) trailing antenna which could be deployed or retrieved with an electrically-powered winch; the short wave transmitter had a 26 meter (85 foot) trailing antenna which was manually deployed. The ship also had a 15 meter (50 foot) fixed antenna which was used only for receiving.
In case of radio or electrical failure, there was also a small emergency radio set in the bow which was powered by a stationary bicycle attached to a small generator.
Hinenburg’s radio equipment also included direction finding navigation radios, which were located in the navigation room of the control car.
Electrical power for the ship was provided by two 50-65 h.p. Daimler-Benz “OM-65” diesel engines connected to Siemens generators, located in an electrical room. The generators could produce 35 KW of electricity which was fed through two systems, one at 220 volts and one at 24 volts. Either motor by itself could produce enough electricity for the ship’s needs, allowing one to be shut down for maintenance without affecting the operation of the ship.
Hindenburg Electrical Room
The electrical room also contained the ship’s master gyro compass and a 5.7 million candlepower Hefner searchlight which could illuminate the ground or sea below the ship.
The room was make of thick aluminum sheets and was entered through an airlock; the room was kept at positive pressure to prevent any free hydrogen from entering the room. The electrical room also had a hatch for access to the outside when the airship was on the ground.
Sleeping Quarters for Officers and Crew
Sleeping quarters for the officers and crew were located within the hull of the ship along the keel. The officers shared a compartment with twelve bunks, located in Bay 14 just forward of the control car, and the commander had a private cabin in the same area. There was a 22-bunk sleeping area for the crew in Bay 11, just aft of the passenger accommodations, and there were twelve additional bunks located toward the stern in Bay 5.
Hindenburg crew bunks, along the keel
The Hindenburg’s keel also contained several areas for storage of cargo and freight.
Cargo storage along Hindenburg’s keel
Hindenburg B Deck: Kitchen and Mess Areas
The port section of B Deck, just below the main passenger deck, housed the ship’s kitchen, connected by a dumbwaiter to the serving pantry on A Deck, and separate mess areas for the officers and the crew.
Hindenburg galley on B Deck
Hindenburg galley on B Deck
B Deck: Crew mess, with photographs of Hitler and Hindenburg (left); Officers mess (right)
88 years ago tonight, the LZ129 and her passengers and crew met history. Remembering them on this rainy day similar to what it was in 1937.
Would it be possible for crew to walk around on the catwalks in such an airship? Or would they suffocate/burn up due to whatever gas is used? Thank you! Very interesting photos and details here!
The lifting gas was contained in cells; crew members could freely walk around the interior of the hull, which is where crew sleeping quarters, work areas, cargo storage, etc. was located.
im trying to design a rigid airship that would be a tad smaller than the Hindenburg for an RC project and this really helped for where to put ballast (aka nuts and bolts) its still a work in progress but its a real help
I’m very glad the site has been helpful. 🙂
The article mentions a trailing wire antennae. Since I am currently making a 3d model of a fictional rigid airship, I would like to know more about that installation so I can better incorporate it into my design. I cannot see it in any pictures or blueprints. Thanks in advance.
You can find many detailed explanations of the famous “Zepp” antenna online. This is an interesting antenna for sure (I have been a licensed ham for 68 years) and its clever operating principles will tickle you when you do your reading. A very long wire was let out behind the airship, dangling in the air, and the manner in which it was connected to the ship’s transmitter is where the “cleverness” comes in to the story. Just “go to the Google (as Dubya Bush would say) you will find all the juicy details.
How were the hydrogen bladders attached to the frame of the ship?
The gas cells transmitted their lift to the airframe through netting that surrounded the cells and was attached to the frame.
Very interesting layout of the interior. I noticed that in the keel layout diagram, it appears the crew quarters have windows, but I can’t find any photographs that would support that premise. Does anyone know if any of the crew quarters were provided with window? Officers maybe?
1.Using modern avionics and material now available would it be possible with either helium or hydrogen to build a working airship using the Hindenburg design.
With advances in solar electricity collection and computer navigation, another Hindenburg disaster would be nearly impossible, even without using non-flammable helium, by removing all combustion aspects from the plans. Alas, it would be like rebuilding the Titanic, the ships are obsolete, too expensive, too temperamental, and too slow
Realistically upon looking into the helium/hydrogen situation it would appear most of the reason zeppelins and airships went out of style was all of the disasters proximity to one another and WWII incentivizing aircraft design. Realistically with modern engineering and safety practices there’s no scientific reason not to bring airships back especially for something like cruises and not point to point transport.
It primarily seems to be the combination of no military viability and the fact things like passenger cruises are vastly safer than they were when Zeppelins were around. Basically without 60 years of fresh Zeppelins in the public’s mind any new Zeppelin regardless of time since the Hindenburg is going to get treated the same way any ship made by the company who built the Titanic right after that disaster. It’s quite the task to overcome and unfortunately without a bunch of safe airships doing demos most people’s only memory of an airship outside a sports game is “Oh the humanity!”
I understand that the original mast on the top of the Empire State Building was intended to be a mooring mast for dirigibles. If this was true, how did the passengers (or even the crew) embark or disembark from the ship? It would seem to me that you would have to have a lounge, or at least a walkway at the same level as the passenger area, where people would walk on, and it doesn’t seem that this would have been possible if you just had the ship tied up to a mast on the top of a skyscraper, for example.
The Empire State building was never intended as a mooring mast for airships. The problem, however, wasn’t necessarily the ability to board or disembark through the bow; although neither Graf Zeppelin nor Hindenburg had passenger access at the bow, the British airships did board and disembark passengers exactly that way.
True but one airship, the Los Angeles did.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/docking-on-the-empire-state-building-12525534/
U.S.S. Los Angeles never moored on the Empire State Building
Ah ha! You’re correct. I researched other articles, the photos from The Smithsonian magazine are composites! Had AI do a dedicated search & only a private airship docked for three minutes & not successfully either.
The observation level on floor 102 of the Empire State Building was intended to be the embarkment / disembarkment walkway. (Info from Wikipedia).
“Info from Wikipedia” says it all. 🙂
Beg to differ,
“Alfred E. Smith, the leader of a group of investors erecting the Empire State Building,†announced that the height of the building would be increased by 200 feet so that a mooring mast for dirigibles could be installed. Smith noted that passengers would exit the airship down a gangplank, and a mere seven minutes later could be on the street, ready to experience everything Manhattan had to offer.
Link to the Air and Space magazine article online
http://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/docking-on-the-empire-state-building-12525534/?no-ist
Also the NY Times Article online
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/realestate/26scapes.html?_r=0
Was it a workable plan? Probably not for routine travel with the complexities of mooring a dirigible, but it was a plan and there were attempts made.
Considering that midair refueling at jet cruising speeds is a fairly routine procedure for modern air forces, you could probably manage to moor an airship to the Empire State building without too much trouble (assuming you first dealt with the various antennas now in the way). For example, the end of a lightweight messenger cable from the mast could be sent out attached to a small drone, the airship catches the drone, then reels in the actual mooring cable, then the mast reels in the airship. Of course, you would want to include a set of hoses to accept any vented water ballast or you would get complaints (and probably law suits) from the folks below. NOTE: If you’re a fan of the Fringe T.V. series, in the alternate reality of that show, the Empire State building actually does have a functioning airship terminal on it’s observations deck. There is at least one scene (although I forget the episode number) in which we see characters making a rendezvous there, as passengers debark in the background.
I used to visit the Empire State Building regularly and being an airship fan was aware of the idea of mooring one there. However, every time I went outside on the top level there was at least a 30-knot wind. Mooring one would have been an adventure, if possible.
I really enjoyed the photos of the ‘Hindeburg’ interior. Thank you
I’m guessing you have since looked into it further and have seen you were wrong. Shame you didn’t correct yourself instead of leaving misinformation attached to your name in the comments. Admitting a mistake is indicative someone open to learning. It’s honorable. However, letting ego stand in the way of others’ knowledge is pretty pathetic. It also calls into question the validity of your past work. What a shame.
On a 2 day flight across the Atlantic how would the passenger sleep,?
Very comfortably. 🙂
What a great informative insight into the Hindenberg. The photos of the interior are priceless. Such a refined civilized way to travel, no jetlag, comfortable surroundings, and just such a shame it had a disastrous ending. It will forever be remembered like the Titanic.Thank you for compiling this amazing webpage.Cheers!!!
I understand meals were served in shifts. What were the shifts?