LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin II

last of the great German rigid airships

The LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin ΙΙ was the last Zeppelin built in the time between World War 1 and World War 2. Built from the same blueprints as its sister the LZ-129 Hindenburg, in October, 1937, LZ-130 was modified to use helium after the LZ-129 Hindenburg crash, delaying her first flight. Because helium provides less lift than hydrogen, LZ-130’s passenger capacity was reduced from the 72 carried by Hindenburg to just 40.

Graf Zeppelin
Graf Zeppelin at Lowenthal Hangar in 1938
Other name(s) Graf Zeppelin II
Type Hindenburg-class airship
Manufacturer Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
Construction number LZ 130
Manufactured 1936–38
Registration D-LZ130
First flight 14 September 1938
In service 1938–40
Flights 30
Fate Broken up April 1940
Preserved at Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen (bow)
The LZ 130 under construction.
In flight

Helium is rare and expensive, so the airship was also modified to not leak helium. However, the United States refused to sell any helium to Germany, so the airship was filled with hydrogen anyway.