Dr. Eckeners dream of a regularly scheduled Zeppelin airship service across the North Atlantic to America was finally realized with the construction of the Hindenburg. It was designed to carry 50 passengers in a luxury and comfort never before seen in Airship Travel. It was to be one of Nazi Germany's finest airships. The Hindenburg was supposed to represent the greatness of Germany and its leader, Adolf Hitler. Because of this the Hindenburg was emblazoned with large swastikas on it’s vertical fins.
The Hindenburg would soon enter service-carrying passengers across Europe and North and South America. The Hindenburg was supposed to be the first in a fleet of Zeppelin owned airships, designed for commercial air travel …show more content…
The ship was to move very well through her trials with only a few bugs to work out and some repairs to make due to a poor landing. During its trials it made many propaganda flights over Germany dropping pamphlets and showing of the power of the Nazi movement.
The Hindenburg had many new innovations in airship design. Her complete design was a departure from older Zeppelin ships and carried many novelties. She would carry all her passengers inside her huge hull instead of from a protruding gondola section. Her control car alone would disturb her smooth lines. She was also fitted with a smoking room, something of an oddity on a ship destined to be inflated with an incredibly flammable gas. The smoking room was built with an airlock, which would keep any flames from spreading to the rest of the ship. The room was lined with asbestos. On May 6, 1937, the great Zeppelin airship had made its first successful crossing of the Atlantic and planned to land at Lakehurst, New
Jersey. With friends and family watching the arrival of the great lighter-than-air craft, it suddenly burst into flames while landing in the full view of the crowd which including reporters and newsreel