Lunch is about to be served aboard the lighter than air vessel: Graf Zeppelin in 1929. The German made hydrogen-fueled airship made a total of 559 voyages, including several voyages to America and the Middle East during its relatively short life span.
The Graf Zeppelin was the most celebrated airship of its age, a silver giant that turned long-distance flight into spectacle. Officially designated LZ 127, it was built in Germany and named for Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, pioneer of rigid airships.
The craft first flew on September 18, 1928, under the command of Dr. Hugo Eckener. Measuring 776 feet from nose to tail, the Graf Zeppelin carried passengers in surprising comfort, with ten sleeping cabins, a dining room, and broad windows overlooking continents and oceans.
In 1929 it completed a publicized round-the-world journey, traveling from Lakehurst, New Jersey, across the Atlantic, Europe, Siberia, Japan, and the Pacific before returning to the United States. The voyage made Eckener and his crew international celebrities.
Unlike the ill-fated Hindenburg, the Graf Zeppelin never suffered a fatal accident. Its career ended after the Hindenburg disaster in 1937 destroyed public confidence in passenger airships. Dismantled in 1940, it remains an enduring symbol of aviation’s bold, elegant, and adventurous early years.
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| All aboard, 1929 |
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Graf Zeppelin  |
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