National Geographic: Hindenburg Page #4

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Along its central axis, enormous gas

cells would rest end to end,

taking up almost its entire volume.

They would be filled with

seven million cubic feet of hydrogen.

A rigid framework would be needed

to support them.

It would have to be strong,

but lightweight.

The material of choice:

an aluminum alloy.

To separate the gas cells:

gigantic O-Rings,

some more than a hundred feet

in diameter,

as big as a carnival ferris wheel.

Now the pieces can be assembled,

in a custom-built construction shed.

After more than three years of work,

the giant airship is beginning

to take shape.

Around the frame: her outer surface

is covered with

painstakingly stitched together.

To protect the cotton cloth from

corrosion by saltwater and wind,

and to reflect the sun's heat, it's

painted with a metallic doping compound.

It's an incendiary mixture,

but it's standard procedure

in airship construction.

Finally, the gas cells can be filled.

Eckener's first choice

is nonflammable helium,

but the Americans have

a monopoly on helium,

and refuse to sell this strategic

resource to a potential enemy.

So he is forced to fill

the Hindenburg with hydrogen.

March 1936:
The new airship is ready

for her maiden flight.

With her first public appearances,

it was clear that there had never been

anything quite like the Hindenburg.

Streamlined and elegant,

she was a technical marvel and

a masterpiece of design.

As she floated gracefully

off the ground,

Hugo Eckener basked in the glory.

The Nazis would view his new airship

as a stunning symbol of German might.

Though Eckener himself was no friend

of the Nazi government,

one of Hindenburg's first flights

was ordered up by

Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels

himself:

an aerial tour of the country's

largest cities.

But the Hindenburg's primary function

was to transport passengers,

and within days of her maiden flight,

she made her debut

in the transatlantic airship service.

One of her crewmen was Werner Franz,

who was hired as a cabin boy.

I was 14 years old the first time

I saw the ship.

When I entered the hangar,

I didn't know where the ship was.

All I could see was a grey wall.

I looked left and right,

until it became clear to me that

I was standing right in front of it.

I saw only a part of the ship.

You had to walk to the front and the

back just to take in the whole thing.

Of course, I walked through every inch

of the ship when I wasn't working.

My favorite spot, when I had the time,

was all the way in the front,

in the bow.

There was a little area with a table

and some small benches and a window

where I could see the whole panorama

in front of me.

That was my favorite spot.

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