I was at Lakehurst, New Jersey last weekend for the memorial service in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster and to reconnect with good friends from the LTA world.

The Memorial Service

The memorial service was a moving tribute to both the victims of the disaster and the U.S. Navy personnel who heroically saved so many lives.

Sailor with Memorial Wreath

Memorial Wreaths at Hindenburg Crash Site

The service was attended by a relatively large crowd of approximately 200 people including officers, sailors, soldiers, and airmen from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

Guests at Hindenburg Memorial Service

Special guests included Alexander Pruss, whose grandfather, Captain Max Pruss, was in command of Hindenburg’s last voyage; Dr. Horst Schirmer, whose father, Dr. Max Schirmer, was an engineer and aerodynamicist who designed important features of the ship, and who flew aboard Hindenburg as a child; Robert Buchanan, who was a teenage member of the civilian ground crew when the ship crashed; and Mary Alice Noone, whose grandfather Burtis Dolan died in the crash.

Speakers at the service included Carl Jablonski and airship historian Rick Zitarosa of the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society.

Cheryl Ganz, Alexander Pruss and his wife Astrid, and Dan Grossman of Airships.net

Burtis Dolan’s granddaughter, Mary Alice Noone, with her husband Michael

Robert Buchanan and Rick Zitarosa with Hindenburg Memorial Wreath

The ceremony was filmed by Rick Malkames, using the same camera that Hearst newsreel cameraman James J. Seeley used on May 6, 1937 to record the disaster.

Original Hearst Newsreel Camera that Recorded the Crash

The Hindenburg Crash Marker

The Memorial Dinner Sponsored by Navy Lakehurst Historical Society

A special memorial dinner was held the night before the service; speakers included Alexander Pruss, Horst Schirmer, Robert Buchanan, Rick Zitarosa, and Carl Jablonski, among others.

Alexander Pruss Speaking at Hindenburg Memorial Dinner

Horst Schirmer and Alexander Pruss

Personal Fun and Friendship at Lakehurst

The weekend was also an opportunity for me to spend time with some of my old friends in LTA community, including Rick Zitarosa of NLHS, Patrick Russell of “Faces of the Hindenburg,” and Cheryl Ganz of the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum.  I also spent many enjoyable hours discussing technical aspects of the Hindenburg’s design with the erudite and gentlemanly Horst Schirmer.

Dan Grossman and Horst Schirmer in Hangar One at Lakehurst

While at Lakehurst, Rick, Patrick and I crawled over Hangar One and the crash site and poked around in the woods where the old high mast was located.

One of the many snatch blocks that secured U.S.S. Los Angeles and other ships to the high mast at Lakehurst

Gas lines and other connections under the now-dismantled high mast

U.S.S. Shenandoah at the high mast at Lakehurst

Hangar One also contains the replica of the control car used in the movie “The Hindenburg” (1975).

Control Car from 1975 Movie “The Hindenburg”

Hindenburg Control Car

Patrick Russell of Faces of the Hindenburg

Hindenburg Elevator Wheel

Dan Grossman of Airships.net

Observation Room/Lounge at Aft of Replica Control Car

My weekend in Lakehurst was a wonderful experience, both to honor and commemorate those who died in the tragedy, and to spend time with valued friends and colleagues.