The LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was a German passenger zeppelin that was commercially operated from 1929 to 1937. It was the first-ever airship to fly commercial service (airships only flew very high-class passengers and celebrities on private flights before then), making airships the main form of air travel from 1928-1940. The airship was named after the greatest pioneer of the airships, Count (Graf in German) Ferdinand von Zeppelin. This was also the first zeppelin in history to fly on a global round trip. During its operating life, the airship made 590 flights covering more than 1.7 million kilometers (over 1 million miles). It was designed to be operated by a crew of 36 officers and men. The LZ 127 was the longest rigid airship at the time of its completion and was only surpassed by the USS Akron in 1931. It was scrapped for fighter plane parts in 1940. It has gone down in history as one of the world's greatest zeppelins.
Construction[]
Construction onf the Graf Zeppelin began in 1926.
Last Flight[]
The Graf Zeppelin was flying over the Canary Islands on May 6th, 1937, during the last day of a South American flight from Brazil to Germany when it received disastrous news on the radio. The Hindenburg had caught fire and was destroyed at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Captain Hans von Schiller withheld the news from his passengers and told them of the disaster only after the ship’s safe landing in Germany, to prevent fear of being on a hydrogen airship. The passengers were shocked when they were told of the disaster.