Interesting pictures on your blog. I saw the one of you standing at NAS Lakehurst with the dirigible and the two blimp hangars in the background. As a young kid in the 1950’s I attended a number of inspections, etc. in the Blimp Hanger where NARTU was located. My father retired as an AMCM with about 30 years in 1967. As an E-6 (PO1) he was one or the original members of ZP-14, the Navy’s first Blimp (LTA) squadron at Lakehurst, and spent 1948-1958 at NARTU Lakehurst. He served under / served with many of the survivors from the Rigid Airships. I met quite a few of them as a young kid, but have long forgotten their names. Including my father, they are all long gone.

I don’t know if you recall it, or heard about it, but the First of Walter Cronkite’s “You are There” 1950’s T.V. series was about the crash of the Hindenburg. We watched it on television at home, mainly because part of it was original new footage and part of it was reenacted at NAS Lakehurst. They showed the Hindenburg coming towards the mast – and then focused on the mast, that part was reenacted. The Chief Petty Officer on the reenacted mast part was my father and the other sailors were from NARTU. I don’t believe there is any of that film footage of it that survived into the modern era.

From Wikipedia: You Are There, The first telecast took place on February 1, 1953 and featured a re-enactment of the Hindenburg disaster. The final telecast took place on October 13, 1957. Originally telecast live, most of the later episodes were produced on film