Remarkable images of the Hindenburg

[Iwillnevergiveup]

Upcoming 76 years since the disaster, May 6, 1937.


http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/05/75-years-since-the-hindenburg-disaster/100292/

"Last Sunday, May 6, marked the 75th anniversary of the 1937 Hindenburg disaster. The massive German airship caught fire while attempting to land near Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 people aboard, plus one ground crew member. Of the 97 passengers and crew members on board, 62 managed to survive. The horrifying incident was captured by reporters and photographers and replayed on radio broadcasts, in newsprint, and on newsreels. News of the disaster led to a public loss of confidence in airship travel, ending an era. The 245 m (803 f) Hindenburg used flammable hydrogen for lift, which incinerated the airship in a massive fireball, but the actual cause of the initial fire remains unknown. Gathered here are images of the Hindenburg's first successful year of transatlantic travel, and of its tragic ending 75 years ago."

[DreamGypsy]

1. The disaster recalled musically by Patricia Harden and Tom Russell ...

...from their second LP album. I saw live performances of this at the Coffee House in the Student Union at Stanford back in .... oh, 1975 or '76.

We're sorry Mr. Hitler, but the helium was ours,
Though it didn't save the Akron, or the Daughter of the Stars
Now the airplane rules the skyway in the grey polluted wind
There are those who say the day will come when the zeppelin flies again.

And, of course, there's the great Doonesbury Hindenburg/Limbaugh question.

The photos from the Atlantic were incredible.

Thanks for the post, Iwngu.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

2. You are welcome

And thanks for the added info. Nice screen name, too.

[Johnpaddy]

5. Tom Russell - Hindenburg

DreamGypsy,

I am trying to figure our the lyric to Tom Russell's Hindenburg and see that you are familiar with this song. I have everything but the line that comes after "While FDR was fishing for a Tarpon in the Gulf ......................... "
I pick back up at "When he heard the howling winds"

and the line that comes after ""when she first came to the east .............."
I pick back up at "I think we tamed the beast"

I just can't make out the words. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[DreamGypsy]

6. Here are the relevant lyrics...

....and welcome to DU, Johnpaddy.

Sorry for the delay but we were vacationing in San Francisco and I just got back to a computer.

Note: the references to Eckener are to Dr. Hugo Eckener who, among other positions, was a manager of the Zeppelin airship company.

(chorus)
Were you there when the Hindenburg went down?
Were you there when the Hindenburg went down?
I was there when it went down,
Oh, I rode it to the ground.
Were you there when the Hindenburg went down?

We flew the Shenandoah, the queen of all the skies,
But the Hindenburg was the greatest ship to ever sail on high.
With her belly full of hydrogen she crossed the waters blue
With the movie greats, heads of states, and Hitler's Nazi crew.

There were 40,000 hot dogs sold when she first came to the East
And it's "Howdy Yankees", Eckener said, "I think we've tamed the Beast."
But the hydrogen would sing the final song for Hitler's Reich.
A year would pass and flames would rake the cloudy Lakehurst night.

<chorus>

While FDR was fishing for a tarpon in the gulf
Dr. Eckener dreamed of Icarus and he heard the howling wolf
Then St. Elmo's fired descended and gave forth a deadly spark
The Hindenburg exploded, holy flames shot through the dark.

<chorus>

We're sorry Mr. Hitler, but the helium was ours,
Though it didn't save the Akron or the Daughter of the Stars.
Now the airplanes rule the sky ways in the grey, polluted wind,
There are those who pray the day will come
When the zeppelins fly again.

Hope the above lyrics help.

[Johnpaddy]

7. Lyrics

thanks a lot .... I never would have figured a couple lines out .... and I had a few words wrong in others.

Big Help

[progree]

3. Rarely seen footage of the Hindenburg airship's tragic end, posted by the Public Domain Review

Rarely seen footage of the Hindenburg airship's tragic end, posted by the Public Domain Review, is an amazingly intimate look at a 76-year-old disaster. While the exact cause of the airship’s fiery demise is still debated, the video—which also includes historical newsreel coverage of the Hindenburg on safely executed flights—is a moving look at the moments leading up to the explosion, and a frightening birds-eye view of the explosion itself.
As Slate notes, the Hindenburg actually completed more than 30 successful transatlantic trips before the disaster in New Jersey on May 6, 1937.
The newsreel footage includes clips of the Hindenburg floating over Manhattan with a swastika on its tail.

More: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/footage-shows-hindenburg-disaster-stunning-detail-185542411.html

[LongTomH]

4. About that "public loss of confidence in airship travel:"

Even during the heyday of airship travel: the 1930s, only a small fraction of the public could afford to travel on airships. Rigid airships, dirigibles or zeppelins, were very capital and labor intensive, both in construction and operation, much more so than airplanes. The only 'commercial,' passenger-carrying dirigibles were operated by countries, like Germany and (briefly) Great Britain who subsidized their construction and operation. They were much like the later Concorde, which was a prime money-loser during its entire operating career; the Concorde was only operated by airlines like British Air, that received a subsidy from their governments.

Yeah, I know: 'Popsci' futurists have been predicting the return of the dirigible, as energy costs have risen, for decades. But, for reasons listed above, that just isn't likely. I would also point out that helium is not a renewable resource; it's derived from natural gas wells in the United States.

Read the Atlantic article: The Dead Dream of the Dirigible.