83rd Anniversary of the Hindenburg Crash, May 6, 1937

JesseKraft

1937 Bronze Medal of Germany, by Karl Goetz. 217g, 92mm.
American Numismatic Society, 1979.38.887

291fifth

It is another medal I haven't seen before. Keep those interesting items coming!

carabonnair

Especially interesting to see the German perspective: "die ungeklärte Katastrophe" = the unexplained disaster

JesseKraft

@carabonnair said:
Especially interesting to see the German perspective: "die ungeklärte Katastrophe" = the unexplained disaster

Definitely interesting, considering the theories that it's destruction was ordered from the top.

SaorAlba

Curiously the last survivor of the Hindenburg only passed away a few months ago, he was 8 when the Hindenburg went down and died at 90 years old.

JesseKraft

@SaorAlba said:

Curiously the last survivor of the Hindenburg only passed away a few months ago, he was 8 when the Hindenburg went down and died at 90 years old.

Very cool pieces! Interestingly, neither are of the Hindenburg (production number LZ 129). The top two portray the Graf Zeppelin (LZ 127, in use from 1928-37), which completed a well-publicized round-the-world tour in 1929. The crew of this ship actually heard the Hindenburg disaster in real time via radio while in flight from Brazil to Germany, but chose not to tell passengers to not cause fear. The ship was decommissioned shortly thereafter (as nobody ever wanted to fly on a zeppelin again after the Hindenburg crash), and scrapped in 1940.

The bottom piece portrays LZ 126, which was actually a US Naval airship christened the USS Los Angeles (in use from 1924-32). In August 1927, this airship almost suffered a similar fate as the Hindenburg, when it was tethered to the high mast at Lakehurst and damaged after being blown around by the wind, but was able to fly the following day. After the crash of another zeppelin (the USS Akron) in 1933, this ship was flown again for a few more years. LZ 126 was actually in its hangar at Lakehurst when the Hindenburg went down, where it stayed until it was scrapped in 1939.

Timbuk3

Nice, thanks for sharing !!!

SaorAlba

@JesseKraft said:

The bottom piece portrays LZ 126, which was actually a US Naval airship christened the USS Los Angeles (in use from 1924-32). In August 1927, this airship almost suffered a similar fate as the Hindenburg, when it was tethered to the high mast at Lakehurst and damaged after being blown around by the wind, but was able to fly the following day. After the crash of another zeppelin (the USS Akron) in 1933, this ship was flown again for a few more years. LZ 126 was actually in its hangar at Lakehurst when the Hindenburg went down, where it stayed until it was scrapped in 1939.

The USS Los Angeles had the distinction of being the only US Navy airship that did not meet a disastrous end. It was also based on using hydrogen for lift, which had they used hydrogen would have increased the performance of the craft but also the danger. The US had and still has the monopoly on helium production and was NOT willing to let the Germans buy it for their zeppelins. The LZ-126 / USS Los Angeles was actually part of a war reparations payment. The USS Macon and USS Akron were actually aircraft carriers - motherships for parasite aircraft like the Curtiss F9 Sparrowhawk. The flying aircraft carriers are something most people now have no idea actually happened in the 1930's.

carabonnair

A couple related posts from the U.S. Coin Forum
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/comment/12585552#Comment_12585552
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/comment/12567179

JesseKraft

@SaorAlba said:

The flying aircraft carriers are something most people now have no idea actually happened in the 1930's.

Indeed! Very cool.
To be honest, I knew none of this two days ago, including what I wrote. The power of Google.
Nice follow-up. Thanks for the further insight!