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{\an8}♪♪♪
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-May 6, 1937...
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{\an1}The world's largest airship, the
4
00:00:12,066 --> 00:00:17,666
explodes.
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00:00:14,867 --> 00:00:17,700
Hindenburg,
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36 people are killed,
7
00:00:19,700 --> 00:00:23,400
{\an1}and the entire disaster
is caught on film.
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- Oh, my God!
- Shoot it! Shoot it! Shoot it!
9
00:00:28,033 --> 00:00:30,933
{\an1}-That image of an airship
crashing into the ground,
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00:00:30,966 --> 00:00:33,900
wreathed in flame,
has become iconic.
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{\an1}-But how did it happen?
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00:00:36,700 --> 00:00:40,000
{\an1}Brand-new research and
recently uncovered documents
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00:00:40,033 --> 00:00:42,600
have exposed a series
of crucial errors
14
00:00:42,633 --> 00:00:47,000
leading up to
the
Hindenburg
explosion.
15
00:00:47,033 --> 00:00:49,466
{\an1}From fatal decision making...
16
00:00:49,500 --> 00:00:53,433
{\an1}-They took shortcuts because
of the pressure they were under.
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-Landing airships
in thunderstorms
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is not a good idea.
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{\an1}-...to flawed design...
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{\an1}-The outer cover is similar
to the wings of a plane:
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if they're not right,
the thing won't fly right.
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It's that simple.
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{\an1}-...and intense demands
from Hitler.
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{\an1}-The Nazi party saw this
as an opportunity
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{\an1}and invested millions.
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00:01:18,133 --> 00:01:20,366
{\an1}-That would have put enormous
pressure on the crew
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to perform perfectly.
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{\an1}-Critical mistakes that led
to a fiery tragedy
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{\an1}and the death of airship travel.
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-This visual of this
burning airship
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cemented the fate
of this form of transport.
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{\an1}-You don't hear the word
"Hindenburg"
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{\an1}without thinking disaster.
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{\an1}-There's kind of no coming back
from that.
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{\an1}-""Hindenburg's Fatal Flaws."
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{\an8}♪♪♪
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{\an7}- "Secrets of the Dead"
was made possible in part by
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{\an7}contributions to your PBS
station from viewers like you.
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{\an8}Thank you.
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{\an8}♪♪♪
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{\an7}-In 1936, German airship
manufacturer Zeppelin revealed
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00:02:12,866 --> 00:02:16,766
{\an8}what they believed
was the future of air travel...
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00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:22,800
{\an7}An 800-foot-long airship
called the
Hindenburg.
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00:02:22,833 --> 00:02:25,933
{\an8}-No airplane has ever
been bigger.
45
00:02:25,966 --> 00:02:29,200
{\an8}No air balloon
has ever been bigger.
46
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{\an7}-What the Zeppelin Company
was doing
47
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{\an7}was building something that was
the size of an ocean liner
48
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{\an7}and floating it in the sky.
49
00:02:37,066 --> 00:02:42,233
{\an7}-It's the size of almost three
747's lined up back-to-back.
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00:02:42,266 --> 00:02:44,633
{\an7}That is how big we're talking.
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00:02:44,666 --> 00:02:48,666
{\an7}-It's almost mind blowing to
think that nearly 100 years ago
52
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{\an7}we built the biggest thing
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{\an8}that has ever gone
in the air and flown.
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00:02:56,866 --> 00:02:59,733
{\an1}-With a range of almost
6,000 miles,
55
00:02:59,766 --> 00:03:02,010
{\an1}the
56
00:02:59,766 --> 00:03:04,300
could cross
the Atlantic Ocean with ease...
57
00:03:02,034 --> 00:03:04,333
Hindenburg
58
00:03:04,333 --> 00:03:07,900
Germany to New Jersey
took less than 50 hours.
59
00:03:07,933 --> 00:03:12,466
{\an1}The fastest ocean-going ship
of the time took five days.
60
00:03:12,500 --> 00:03:18,000
{\an1}And when it came to travelling
in style, nothing came close.
61
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{\an1}-Accommodations are provided
for 50 passengers.
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{\an1}The dining room, drawing room,
63
00:03:24,700 --> 00:03:28,900
{\an1}writing room are large
and comfortable.
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00:03:28,933 --> 00:03:31,866
{\an1}-This was an experience
not dissimilar to first-class
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{\an8}on an ocean liner,
but in the sky...
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So you had access
to comfortable cabins,
67
00:03:37,233 --> 00:03:40,400
a lounge, fine dining
in the restaurant.
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00:03:40,433 --> 00:03:41,560
-The
69
00:03:40,433 --> 00:03:42,733
has a promenade deck
70
00:03:41,584 --> 00:03:42,766
Hindenburg
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00:03:42,766 --> 00:03:44,966
{\an1}where people can wander around.
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00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,100
It had its own piano.
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00:03:47,133 --> 00:03:49,700
{\an1}The
Hindenburg
was packed
with luxury.
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00:03:49,733 --> 00:03:50,910
{\an1}-The
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00:03:49,733 --> 00:03:52,133
really offered
that level of service
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00:03:50,934 --> 00:03:52,166
{\an1}Hindenburg
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00:03:52,166 --> 00:03:53,600
{\an1}that set the standard.
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00:03:53,633 --> 00:03:57,933
{\an1}It showed that you can have
a cruise line cabin in the sky.
79
00:03:57,966 --> 00:04:01,766
{\an1}-The rich and famous snapped up
seats aboard the airship.
80
00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:03,194
{\an1}The
81
00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,633
became the crown
jewel of the world's
82
00:04:03,218 --> 00:04:04,666
{\an1}Hindenburg
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00:04:04,666 --> 00:04:07,766
first commercial
airship operator.
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00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:12,633
{\an1}But just 12 months after its
maiden voyage, disaster struck.
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00:04:16,433 --> 00:04:20,200
{\an1}Following an Atlantic crossing
from Frankfurt to America,
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00:04:20,233 --> 00:04:21,627
{\an1}the
87
00:04:20,233 --> 00:04:23,066
exploded...
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00:04:21,651 --> 00:04:23,100
Hindenburg
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00:04:23,100 --> 00:04:26,400
with 97 passengers
and crew on board.
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00:04:26,433 --> 00:04:34,433
{\an8}♪♪♪
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{\an8}♪♪♪
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00:04:42,633 --> 00:04:45,333
-How did this tragedy
happen to the
Hindenburg?
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00:04:45,366 --> 00:04:47,166
{\an1}The world wants to know.
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00:04:51,166 --> 00:04:53,933
-Today,
more than 80 years later,
95
00:04:53,966 --> 00:04:59,533
{\an1}the list of failures that led
to the tragedy can be revealed.
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00:04:59,566 --> 00:05:04,133
{\an1}The first mistake happened
a year before the disaster...
97
00:05:04,166 --> 00:05:06,700
when the
Hindenburg
started commercial flights
98
00:05:06,733 --> 00:05:10,333
after only a handful
of test flights.
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00:05:10,366 --> 00:05:12,466
{\an1}-Today, the testing that is done
on aircraft
100
00:05:12,500 --> 00:05:15,000
is done at
the very tiniest scales.
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00:05:15,033 --> 00:05:17,400
Computer modelling,
exactly what forces are going
102
00:05:17,433 --> 00:05:20,100
to go through
each component of the aircraft.
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00:05:20,133 --> 00:05:23,333
{\an1}By modern standards, the testing
that was done on the
Hindenburg
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00:05:23,366 --> 00:05:26,466
was really not
very adequate at all.
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00:05:26,500 --> 00:05:34,500
{\an8}♪♪♪
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00:05:34,966 --> 00:05:40,233
{\an7}-In 1918, World War I was over
and there was a growing appetite
107
00:05:40,266 --> 00:05:44,333
{\an1}for adventure in Europe
and the United States.
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00:05:44,366 --> 00:05:46,209
{\an1}-Travel across the Atlantic
and across the world
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00:05:46,233 --> 00:05:48,073
{\an1}at this point was becoming
increasingly common,
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00:05:48,100 --> 00:05:50,466
{\an1}but it usually took place
on ocean liners...
111
00:05:50,500 --> 00:05:52,009
But it was slow,
crucially, it was slow.
112
00:05:52,033 --> 00:05:53,942
{\an1}It took it could take up to up
to a week or more,
113
00:05:53,966 --> 00:05:55,800
{\an1}in fact to across the Atlantic,
114
00:05:55,833 --> 00:05:59,866
so Europe and America
still felt very far apart.
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00:05:59,900 --> 00:06:01,233
-The First World War
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00:06:01,266 --> 00:06:04,333
supercharged aircraft
development...
117
00:06:04,366 --> 00:06:07,500
{\an1}but passenger planes capable
of crossing the Atlantic
118
00:06:07,533 --> 00:06:11,466
were still years
from becoming a reality.
119
00:06:11,500 --> 00:06:15,533
{\an1}Instead, the focus fell on
a different type of aircraft...
120
00:06:15,566 --> 00:06:17,933
One that had proven
its long-range potential
121
00:06:17,966 --> 00:06:21,233
during the war.
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00:06:21,266 --> 00:06:26,033
{\an1}-The Zeppelins were created to
be used in military maneuvers.
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00:06:26,066 --> 00:06:30,100
{\an1}Zeppelins were used by
the Germans to bomb Britain
124
00:06:30,133 --> 00:06:35,233
{\an1}to drop bombs on citizens
and the cities beneath them.
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00:06:35,266 --> 00:06:37,466
{\an1}-In a bid to conquer the oceans,
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00:06:37,500 --> 00:06:39,633
the U.S.,
France, and Britain
127
00:06:39,666 --> 00:06:42,566
raced to build
a new generation of airships
128
00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:46,966
{\an1}that would carry passengers,
not bombs.
129
00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:50,700
{\an1}But the post-war Treaty
of Versailles kept the Germans,
130
00:06:50,733 --> 00:06:55,433
experts in the field,
sitting on the sidelines.
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00:06:55,466 --> 00:06:57,800
{\an1}-Immediately after World War I,
132
00:06:57,833 --> 00:07:03,300
{\an1}the allies tried very diligently
to stop Germany from rearming.
133
00:07:03,333 --> 00:07:07,233
{\an1}And that meant size of Army,
that meant Navy,
134
00:07:07,266 --> 00:07:09,166
{\an1}and that meant aircraft.
135
00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:14,100
-To stay in business,
Zeppelin...
136
00:07:14,133 --> 00:07:17,000
{\an1}the acknowledged world leader
in producing airships...
137
00:07:17,033 --> 00:07:19,133
{\an1}sidestepped the rules.
138
00:07:19,166 --> 00:07:22,933
{\an1}They offered their expertise
to international competitors.
139
00:07:22,966 --> 00:07:25,366
-The Zeppelin Company
is quite sneaky here.
140
00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:27,100
{\an1}They go to the Americans
and say,
141
00:07:27,133 --> 00:07:29,533
"If we build you
this incredible airship,
142
00:07:29,566 --> 00:07:32,100
will you allow us
to keep our factory running?"
143
00:07:32,133 --> 00:07:34,466
And the Americans go
for this deal.
144
00:07:34,500 --> 00:07:36,800
{\an1}-So the Zeppelin Company clearly
took advantage
145
00:07:36,833 --> 00:07:40,266
{\an1}of the immediate allowance
of continued production
146
00:07:40,300 --> 00:07:45,266
{\an1}so that they could continue
developing, continue perfecting,
147
00:07:45,300 --> 00:07:49,266
and basically restart
their operation.
148
00:07:49,300 --> 00:07:53,133
{\an1}-When the restrictions were
finally relaxed in 1926,
149
00:07:53,166 --> 00:07:55,300
Zeppelin immediately
started production
150
00:07:55,333 --> 00:07:59,700
of its own airship,
called the
Graf Zeppelin.
151
00:07:59,733 --> 00:07:59,733
- The
- Graf Zeppelin
152
00:07:59,733 --> 00:08:01,666
Was the largest
153
00:08:01,700 --> 00:08:04,400
{\an1}and most modern dirigible
in the world.
154
00:08:04,433 --> 00:08:08,066
{\an1}With her, Germany took the lead
in the airship field.
155
00:08:08,100 --> 00:08:09,327
{\an1}-The
156
00:08:08,100 --> 00:08:10,600
was the very first aircraft
157
00:08:09,351 --> 00:08:10,633
Graf Zeppelin
158
00:08:10,633 --> 00:08:14,366
{\an1}that was actually designed
to go over an ocean.
159
00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,600
{\an1}-To showcase their latest
product upon completion,
160
00:08:17,633 --> 00:08:20,500
{\an1}Hugo Eckener, the head
of the Zeppelin Company
161
00:08:20,533 --> 00:08:23,400
{\an1}and a skilled airship pilot,
embarked on
162
00:08:23,433 --> 00:08:25,500
{\an1}a record-breaking flight.
163
00:08:25,533 --> 00:08:28,366
-Hugo Eckener built
the largest Zeppelin
164
00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:30,466
{\an1}ever attempted in the world
165
00:08:30,500 --> 00:08:33,300
{\an1}and, in an immense publicity
stunt,
166
00:08:33,333 --> 00:08:36,400
flies it all the way
around the earth.
167
00:08:36,433 --> 00:08:41,933
{\an1}And everywhere he goes around
the world he's cheered.
168
00:08:41,966 --> 00:08:44,000
This is what
Hugo Eckener wanted.
169
00:08:44,033 --> 00:08:46,500
{\an1}He wanted something that
the public would look up to...
170
00:08:46,533 --> 00:08:49,566
{\an1}literally look up to...
And be wowed.
171
00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:50,809
People were still
afraid of this.
172
00:08:50,833 --> 00:08:53,000
{\an1}I mean, this is a really
terrifying idea
173
00:08:53,033 --> 00:08:54,233
to be up in the sky.
174
00:08:54,266 --> 00:08:56,733
{\an1}What happens if you lose power?
Can you crash?
175
00:08:56,766 --> 00:08:58,700
{\an1}I mean most people have never
even been up
176
00:08:58,733 --> 00:09:00,166
in the air at this point at all.
177
00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:03,133
{\an1}So what he does is he takes
the thing around the world
178
00:09:03,166 --> 00:09:05,600
and does a series of, basically,
179
00:09:05,633 --> 00:09:09,333
flights that show
that it's viable.
180
00:09:09,366 --> 00:09:11,333
{\an1}-And that is, of course,
what catapults Eckener
181
00:09:11,366 --> 00:09:13,366
to this position
of enormous fame,
182
00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:15,233
is that he becomes
a representation
183
00:09:15,266 --> 00:09:17,300
of this new age
of dashing pilots.
184
00:09:17,333 --> 00:09:19,800
{\an1}They are the kind of knights
of the sky.
185
00:09:19,833 --> 00:09:22,733
{\an1}-After Hugo Eckener had done
his miraculous
186
00:09:22,766 --> 00:09:25,033
{\an1}'round the world trip,
companies all around
187
00:09:25,066 --> 00:09:27,500
the world wanted
to invest in airships
188
00:09:27,533 --> 00:09:30,966
and wanted Zeppelin
to make them.
189
00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:33,233
{\an1}-After Zeppelin had successfully
demonstrated
190
00:09:33,266 --> 00:09:36,066
{\an1}the airship's potential,
Eckener...
191
00:09:36,100 --> 00:09:37,700
{\an1}determined to be at the
forefront
192
00:09:37,733 --> 00:09:39,466
{\an1}of global air travel...
193
00:09:39,500 --> 00:09:42,666
Developed an ambitious plan.
194
00:09:42,700 --> 00:09:44,633
{\an1}His company would build
an airship
195
00:09:44,666 --> 00:09:46,010
even bigger than the
196
00:09:46,034 --> 00:09:47,400
Graf Zeppelin.
197
00:09:47,433 --> 00:09:50,266
It would be called
the
Hindenburg.
198
00:09:50,300 --> 00:09:51,600
{\an1}-This was Germany saying,
199
00:09:51,633 --> 00:09:53,500
{\an1}"We're still a key player
in the world,
200
00:09:53,533 --> 00:09:56,966
and we can do these
incredible engineering feats."
201
00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:58,294
{\an1}-The
202
00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,633
is developed to show
203
00:09:58,318 --> 00:09:59,666
Hindenburg
204
00:09:59,666 --> 00:10:02,766
{\an1}that we can actually fly people
long distances,
205
00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:04,833
pay for it
through ticket revenues,
206
00:10:04,866 --> 00:10:08,033
{\an1}and he's effectively creating
an airline industry
207
00:10:08,066 --> 00:10:12,066
where one had never
existed before.
208
00:10:12,100 --> 00:10:17,666
-On March 4, 1936,
14 months before the disaster,
209
00:10:17,700 --> 00:10:20,033
{\an1}the
Hindenburg
was ready
to take to the skies
210
00:10:20,066 --> 00:10:22,466
{\an1}for the very first time.
211
00:10:22,500 --> 00:10:25,500
But no one...
Not even its engineers...
212
00:10:25,533 --> 00:10:30,466
{\an1}knew how something so large
would behave once airborne.
213
00:10:30,500 --> 00:10:33,066
{\an1}-Despite the fact that
the Zeppelin Company
214
00:10:33,100 --> 00:10:36,033
{\an1}had had 25 years of success,
215
00:10:36,066 --> 00:10:38,510
- the
- Hindenburg pushed things much,
216
00:10:38,566 --> 00:10:41,366
{\an1}much farther than it had
ever been done before.
217
00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:45,133
{\an1}-It was so much bigger than any
airship that had come before.
218
00:10:45,166 --> 00:10:48,400
{\an1}And in engineering, when you
start scaling things up,
219
00:10:48,433 --> 00:10:51,100
{\an1}you do start entering problems.
220
00:10:51,133 --> 00:10:53,833
{\an1}Because of the vast size
of the
Hindenburg,
221
00:10:53,866 --> 00:10:56,333
{\an1}they really didn't know
how it was going to fly
222
00:10:56,366 --> 00:10:57,966
{\an1}until they'd already built it
223
00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:01,500
and put it up
for its first test flight.
224
00:11:01,533 --> 00:11:03,166
{\an1}-We're putting something up
in the air
225
00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:07,066
{\an1}that has some seven acres
of aeronautical cloth.
226
00:11:07,100 --> 00:11:12,100
{\an1}The vast forces that are on it
are inconceivable.
227
00:11:12,133 --> 00:11:15,766
{\an1}So how it's going to behave
is not known
228
00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:17,133
{\an1}and it makes you wonder
229
00:11:17,166 --> 00:11:21,366
{\an1}if it wasn't just too big
in the first place.
230
00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:23,410
{\an1}-The
231
00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:25,466
first flight
lasted more than three hours.
232
00:11:23,434 --> 00:11:25,500
{\an1}Hindenburg's
233
00:11:25,500 --> 00:11:28,566
{\an1}But the test flights were
limited and inadequate,
234
00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:31,933
{\an1}while critical safety checks
were overlooked.
235
00:11:31,966 --> 00:11:36,666
{\an1}Zeppelin missed a possible
chance to find and fix problems.
236
00:11:36,700 --> 00:11:39,833
{\an1}-To establish that a type
of aircraft is safe,
237
00:11:39,866 --> 00:11:42,700
{\an1}requires numerous tests:
238
00:11:42,733 --> 00:11:45,533
turning ability,
stopping ability,
239
00:11:45,566 --> 00:11:50,700
{\an1}ability to control altitude
in flight, flight test crashes,
240
00:11:50,733 --> 00:11:53,500
how to have emergency
evacuations...
241
00:11:53,533 --> 00:11:55,966
So many things
that ought to be in place.
242
00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:57,766
{\an1}Many of these weren't.
243
00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:00,633
{\an1}-They did seven test flights
to make sure
244
00:12:00,666 --> 00:12:02,500
{\an1}that it would actually be able
to get airborne
245
00:12:02,533 --> 00:12:05,000
and do the job
that they thought it could do.
246
00:12:05,033 --> 00:12:06,966
{\an1}Of these seven test flights,
247
00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:10,533
all of them were done
above land in Germany.
248
00:12:10,566 --> 00:12:12,000
{\an1}None of them were testing
249
00:12:12,033 --> 00:12:14,466
{\an1}actually what they were hoping
to do with the
Hindenburg,
250
00:12:14,500 --> 00:12:17,533
which was to fly it
across the Atlantic.
251
00:12:17,566 --> 00:12:19,866
{\an1}-It is strange, isn't it,
that flight tests
252
00:12:19,900 --> 00:12:22,300
{\an1}for an over-ocean aircraft
253
00:12:22,333 --> 00:12:25,066
wouldn't include
an over-ocean flight trial.
254
00:12:25,100 --> 00:12:28,300
{\an1}But this was the case back
in the 1930s.
255
00:12:28,333 --> 00:12:30,633
Remember, aeronautics
is really new.
256
00:12:30,666 --> 00:12:32,966
{\an1}There's so many things
that are unknown.
257
00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:36,900
And this vehicle is
so much larger
258
00:12:36,933 --> 00:12:39,866
{\an1}than what had ever been tried
before.
259
00:12:39,900 --> 00:12:42,233
{\an1}-After just a handful of test
flights...
260
00:12:42,266 --> 00:12:44,233
{\an1}all performed over land...
261
00:12:44,266 --> 00:12:48,500
The first passengers
were welcomed onboard.
262
00:12:48,533 --> 00:12:52,300
{\an1}And then the
Hindenburg
set off
on an epic 6,000-mile,
263
00:12:52,333 --> 00:12:55,266
four-day flight
across the Atlantic,
264
00:12:55,300 --> 00:12:58,866
{\an1}from Germany to Brazil.
265
00:12:58,900 --> 00:13:00,833
-The
Hindenburg,
when it first took off,
266
00:13:00,866 --> 00:13:03,333
was completely
an experimental aircraft
267
00:13:03,366 --> 00:13:06,233
{\an1}and probably had no business
taking passengers
268
00:13:06,266 --> 00:13:08,166
for a long time.
269
00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:11,166
{\an1}As an experimental aircraft,
there were certainly issues
270
00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:12,900
{\an1}that had to be worked out
271
00:13:12,933 --> 00:13:17,600
{\an1}and it's clear from memos
and letters back and forth
272
00:13:17,633 --> 00:13:21,600
{\an1}in hasty fashion that they were
devastating issues
273
00:13:21,633 --> 00:13:24,333
{\an1}that had to be resolved quickly.
274
00:13:24,366 --> 00:13:27,133
{\an1}-The paying passengers on board
the
Hindenburg
275
00:13:27,166 --> 00:13:29,166
{\an1}trusted German ingenuity.
276
00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:31,800
{\an1}They trusted that this airship
would get them
277
00:13:31,833 --> 00:13:33,966
from A to B safely.
278
00:13:36,333 --> 00:13:37,633
-Against the odds,
279
00:13:37,666 --> 00:13:40,033
the
Hindenburg's
first transatlantic flights
280
00:13:40,066 --> 00:13:43,300
were all successful.
281
00:13:43,333 --> 00:13:47,333
But a year later,
on its 37th Atlantic crossing,
282
00:13:47,366 --> 00:13:50,033
{\an1}the airship's problematic size
and inadequate
283
00:13:50,066 --> 00:13:52,366
{\an1}testing became apparent.
284
00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:53,666
{\an1}-There was a design flaw...
285
00:13:53,700 --> 00:13:55,566
Critical and fatal
design flaw...
286
00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:56,566
On the Hindenburg.
287
00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:03,366
{\an8}♪♪♪
288
00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:05,333
{\an8}-As the
Hindenburg
was coming into land
289
00:14:05,366 --> 00:14:08,266
{\an7}at Lakehurst Naval Air Station
in New Jersey,
290
00:14:08,300 --> 00:14:11,900
{\an1}it was consumed by flames.
291
00:14:11,933 --> 00:14:15,833
{\an1}The 7 million cubic feet of
hydrogen inside the airship
292
00:14:15,866 --> 00:14:19,133
{\an1}exploded almost instantaneously.
293
00:14:22,166 --> 00:14:23,600
{\an1}In less than a minute,
294
00:14:23,633 --> 00:14:26,143
- the
- Hindenburg and its 97 passengers
295
00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:31,333
{\an1}and crew were enveloped
in a gigantic fireball.
296
00:14:31,366 --> 00:14:35,000
{\an1}-The technology that created
the
Hindenburg
couldn't save it.
297
00:14:35,033 --> 00:14:38,433
{\an8}In 32 seconds,
it went up in flames.
298
00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:43,800
{\an1}-The risk of using highly
explosive hydrogen
299
00:14:43,833 --> 00:14:47,333
as a means to lift
the ship was well known.
300
00:14:47,366 --> 00:14:49,366
-Not all of the ships
got off the ground...
301
00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:51,400
{\an1}the V6 exploded in its hanger.
302
00:14:51,433 --> 00:14:54,500
{\an1}The hydrogen had been ignited
by a stray spark.
303
00:14:54,533 --> 00:14:58,600
{\an1}-But nearly a decade earlier,
the company's headstrong boss
304
00:14:58,633 --> 00:15:02,000
ignored the concerns
of key administrators,
305
00:15:02,033 --> 00:15:07,033
and it was a decision
that would prove fatal.
306
00:15:07,066 --> 00:15:08,466
{\an1}-The risks are very high.
307
00:15:08,500 --> 00:15:10,700
{\an1}And the fact that there were
alternatives available,
308
00:15:10,733 --> 00:15:12,633
even if they had
their shortcomings,
309
00:15:12,666 --> 00:15:16,100
{\an1}does suggest that the use
of hydrogen in the
Hindenburg
310
00:15:16,133 --> 00:15:18,833
did make this airship
a ticking time bomb.
311
00:15:18,866 --> 00:15:26,866
{\an8}♪♪♪
312
00:15:28,266 --> 00:15:30,900
{\an1}-In the early days of designing
the
Hindenburg,
313
00:15:30,933 --> 00:15:36,266
{\an1}company leader Hugo Eckener
had a key decision to make...
314
00:15:36,300 --> 00:15:39,566
{\an1}Would his ambitious airship
rely on hydrogen gas
315
00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:41,800
to provide its lift?
316
00:15:41,833 --> 00:15:45,466
{\an1}Or should he switch to a newer,
and safer, alternative:
317
00:15:45,500 --> 00:15:47,000
helium?
318
00:15:47,033 --> 00:15:49,033
{\an1}-You want to fill your airship
with a gas
319
00:15:49,066 --> 00:15:52,366
that is less dense
than the air around it.
320
00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:57,366
{\an7}This produces a buoyancy force
which pushes the airship up.
321
00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:01,100
{\an1}Hydrogen is the lightest
chemical element.
322
00:16:01,133 --> 00:16:02,933
{\an1}It's the smallest atom,
323
00:16:02,966 --> 00:16:05,866
it occurs
naturally on Earth as a gas,
324
00:16:05,900 --> 00:16:09,566
{\an1}and it's much less dense
than air.
325
00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:12,833
Helium is the second
lightest gas.
326
00:16:12,866 --> 00:16:15,100
The key advantage
of choosing helium
327
00:16:15,133 --> 00:16:16,466
{\an1}over hydrogen in an airship
328
00:16:16,500 --> 00:16:18,500
is the fact
that it is an inert gas
329
00:16:18,533 --> 00:16:21,533
{\an1}and so it doesn't represent
an explosive risk.
330
00:16:21,566 --> 00:16:22,733
{\an7}-Hydrogen was cheaper.
331
00:16:22,766 --> 00:16:24,366
{\an7}It was more readily available.
332
00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:27,200
{\an1}It was capable of achieving
a much greater lift
333
00:16:27,233 --> 00:16:28,509
so it could carry
more passengers,
334
00:16:28,533 --> 00:16:30,133
{\an1}more weight in the gondola,
335
00:16:30,166 --> 00:16:33,100
{\an1}But the risk of it was it was
flammable, highly flammable.
336
00:16:36,033 --> 00:16:37,900
{\an1}-Helium was likely a much safer,
337
00:16:37,933 --> 00:16:41,500
and more stable,
option than explosive hydrogen.
338
00:16:41,533 --> 00:16:43,833
{\an1}But helium had problems too.
339
00:16:43,866 --> 00:16:46,066
{\an1}While also lighter than air,
340
00:16:46,100 --> 00:16:48,300
it was still heavier
than hydrogen,
341
00:16:48,333 --> 00:16:52,300
{\an1}reducing its lift power
and the number of passengers.
342
00:16:52,333 --> 00:16:54,633
And it was difficult
to get ahold of.
343
00:16:54,666 --> 00:16:56,166
In the 1930s,
344
00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:59,966
{\an1}most of the world's helium was
produced in the United States.
345
00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:03,366
-The U.S.
had a monopoly on helium supply.
346
00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:06,666
{\an1}This presented a big problem
to the engineers in Europe,
347
00:17:06,700 --> 00:17:09,233
{\an1}and they really didn't like
the idea of relying
348
00:17:09,266 --> 00:17:12,033
{\an1}on U.S. imports of helium.
349
00:17:12,066 --> 00:17:13,666
-So a German company
like Zeppelin
350
00:17:13,700 --> 00:17:16,000
{\an1}couldn't realistically
build helium airships
351
00:17:16,033 --> 00:17:17,700
{\an1}without a huge amount of cost
352
00:17:17,733 --> 00:17:20,100
{\an1}and a huge amount of potential
paperwork and diplomacy
353
00:17:20,133 --> 00:17:24,366
{\an1}trying to secure that gas
from the United States.
354
00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:28,800
{\an1}-Hugo Eckener chose cost
and availability over safety,
355
00:17:28,833 --> 00:17:34,500
{\an7}forging ahead with the use
of hydrogen for his new airship.
356
00:17:34,533 --> 00:17:36,833
{\an7}But then, in October 1930,
357
00:17:36,866 --> 00:17:39,766
{\an8}seven years before
the
Hindenburg
disaster,
358
00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:43,833
{\an7}a tragic accident forced him to
question his original decision.
359
00:17:43,866 --> 00:17:46,000
-Most of these men
have a date with death...
360
00:17:46,033 --> 00:17:47,666
{\an1}but in the elevator up
the mooring mast
361
00:17:47,700 --> 00:17:51,033
there's no hint
of the holocaust to come.
362
00:17:51,066 --> 00:17:53,733
{\an1}-A British airship filled
with hydrogen,
363
00:17:53,766 --> 00:17:57,043
{\an1}the
364
00:17:53,766 --> 00:18:00,366
exploded, killing
48 of its 56 passengers.
365
00:17:57,067 --> 00:18:02,700
R101,
366
00:18:02,700 --> 00:18:06,533
{\an1}-And this was all that remained
of Britain's empress of the sky.
367
00:18:09,466 --> 00:18:13,100
{\an1}-After the
R101
flaming
disaster,
368
00:18:13,133 --> 00:18:17,566
{\an7}Hugo Eckener thought maybe
we do need to use helium.
369
00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:21,866
-You give us helium
for our merchant ships
370
00:18:21,900 --> 00:18:25,600
{\an1}and we will give you our large
operating experiences
371
00:18:25,633 --> 00:18:27,500
in exchange.
372
00:18:27,533 --> 00:18:30,500
{\an1}And this way I believe
the further development
373
00:18:30,533 --> 00:18:32,766
of the airship
and airship traffic
374
00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:36,700
will be assured
for the benefit of mankind.
375
00:18:36,733 --> 00:18:41,600
{\an1}-But, ultimately, Eckener
continued to rely on hydrogen.
376
00:18:41,633 --> 00:18:44,233
{\an1}Zeppelin had an unblemished
record of using it
377
00:18:44,266 --> 00:18:47,366
in all their previous airships.
378
00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,900
{\an1}Overconfident, Eckener
ignored the warnings
379
00:18:50,933 --> 00:18:55,966
{\an1}and made the fatal decision
to stick with the explosive gas.
380
00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:59,866
{\an1}-The historical record shows
that no one told Hugo Eckener
381
00:18:59,900 --> 00:19:01,000
what to do.
382
00:19:01,033 --> 00:19:02,733
{\an1}He was absolutely bull-headed
383
00:19:02,766 --> 00:19:08,900
{\an1}in his determination to stay
with hydrogen at all costs.
384
00:19:08,933 --> 00:19:13,133
-Hugo Eckener boasted
about Zeppelin's safety record.
385
00:19:13,166 --> 00:19:18,200
{\an1}He boasted that German ingenuity
could master the hydrogen
386
00:19:18,233 --> 00:19:21,600
{\an1}and that they could produce
the best airships in the world.
387
00:19:21,633 --> 00:19:24,866
{\an1}It was this kind of arrogance,
unfortunately,
388
00:19:24,900 --> 00:19:27,833
{\an1}that led to the disaster.
389
00:19:27,866 --> 00:19:30,033
-The decision to stay
with hydrogen
390
00:19:30,066 --> 00:19:33,800
{\an1}meant that the
Hindenburg
was certain to blow up
391
00:19:33,833 --> 00:19:36,966
{\an1}fatally at some point.
392
00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:40,466
{\an1}-Had Eckener heeded the warnings
about using hydrogen,
393
00:19:40,500 --> 00:19:42,460
the
394
00:19:42,484 --> 00:19:44,466
Hindenburg
would never have exploded.
395
00:19:44,500 --> 00:19:46,700
{\an1}But his choice wasn't the only
mistake
396
00:19:46,733 --> 00:19:49,333
that set the airship
on the path to disaster.
397
00:19:49,366 --> 00:19:56,233
{\an8}♪♪♪
398
00:19:56,266 --> 00:19:58,633
For the
Hindenburg's
maiden crossing,
399
00:19:58,666 --> 00:20:01,366
the passenger list
was made up of celebrities,
400
00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:05,833
the wealthy elite,
and journalists.
401
00:20:05,866 --> 00:20:09,266
{\an1}But now, new evidence reveals
that even as these people
402
00:20:09,300 --> 00:20:11,866
were boarding,
a critical design flaw
403
00:20:11,900 --> 00:20:17,300
{\an1}meant the
Hindenburg's
time
was already running out.
404
00:20:17,333 --> 00:20:18,477
-The
405
00:20:17,333 --> 00:20:19,666
had a dangerous rattle...
406
00:20:18,501 --> 00:20:19,700
Hindenburg
407
00:20:19,700 --> 00:20:22,233
{\an1}and this is a problem,
and they know it.
408
00:20:22,266 --> 00:20:29,366
{\an8}♪♪♪
409
00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:31,700
{\an8}-December 1935...
410
00:20:31,733 --> 00:20:35,600
{\an8}almost 18 months
before the disaster.
411
00:20:35,633 --> 00:20:37,733
Zeppelin technicians
were about to undertake
412
00:20:37,766 --> 00:20:39,500
{\an1}one of the most difficult steps
413
00:20:39,533 --> 00:20:41,833
{\an1}in of the
Hindenburg's
construction:
414
00:20:41,866 --> 00:20:46,166
Covering its vast
aluminum frame with fabric.
415
00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:48,866
-The outer cover
of the
Hindenburg
416
00:20:48,900 --> 00:20:52,966
is one of the most
extraordinary uses of fabric,
417
00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:54,666
probably of all time.
418
00:20:54,700 --> 00:20:59,233
We're talking about
some seven acres of cloth.
419
00:20:59,266 --> 00:21:03,333
{\an1}-It was stretched across
this skeleton of metal,
420
00:21:03,366 --> 00:21:05,033
{\an1}and this was really important
421
00:21:05,066 --> 00:21:08,266
{\an1}that the that the textile
was fitted really snugly
422
00:21:08,300 --> 00:21:10,566
because if there's
any sort of movement in that,
423
00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:14,266
{\an1}then the ship won't be able
to fly efficiently.
424
00:21:14,300 --> 00:21:17,533
{\an1}-This highly skilled process
was unique to Zeppelin,
425
00:21:17,566 --> 00:21:21,000
{\an1}and it had been perfected by
the company's textiles expert,
426
00:21:21,033 --> 00:21:23,166
Karl Hurttle.
427
00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:25,833
{\an1}Hurttle spent two decades
overseeing the covering
428
00:21:25,866 --> 00:21:29,533
of more than
50 of Zeppelin's airships.
429
00:21:29,566 --> 00:21:31,966
{\an1}-Karl Hurttle was sort of
a secret weapon
430
00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:33,866
{\an1}of the Zeppelin Company.
431
00:21:33,900 --> 00:21:37,500
{\an1}He's really the world's expert
on this.
432
00:21:37,533 --> 00:21:39,666
{\an1}-He had developed his own system
433
00:21:39,700 --> 00:21:42,566
{\an1}for creating a taut layer
of waterproof fabric
434
00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:45,900
for the airship's vast skeleton.
435
00:21:45,933 --> 00:21:48,900
{\an1}-This is an incredibly
involved process.
436
00:21:48,933 --> 00:21:52,100
{\an1}But in the end, what they end up
with is something that is
437
00:21:52,133 --> 00:21:58,100
{\an1}very strong, very sturdy,
and doesn't vibrate in the wind.
438
00:21:58,133 --> 00:22:01,166
{\an1}-But when the
Hindenburg
was ready to be covered...
439
00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:04,433
{\an1}Karl Hurttle wasn't there.
440
00:22:04,466 --> 00:22:09,066
He was now working
in the United States.
441
00:22:09,100 --> 00:22:10,710
{\an1}With financial pressure to get
the
442
00:22:09,100 --> 00:22:12,366
airborne,
443
00:22:10,734 --> 00:22:12,400
Hindenburg
444
00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:14,966
Zeppelin was forced
to cover the airship
445
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:19,733
without its most
experienced fabric expert.
446
00:22:19,766 --> 00:22:23,333
{\an1}-This type of construction
had never been attempted before.
447
00:22:23,366 --> 00:22:25,233
{\an1}This was the biggest airship
ever made.
448
00:22:25,266 --> 00:22:29,133
{\an1}And so the fact that their chief
textile engineer was away
449
00:22:29,166 --> 00:22:33,566
{\an1}overseas on a different project
was really, really not ideal.
450
00:22:36,433 --> 00:22:38,900
{\an1}-And the colossal size
of the
Hindenburg
451
00:22:38,933 --> 00:22:42,266
{\an1}wasn't the only challenge
for the technicians.
452
00:22:42,300 --> 00:22:45,033
{\an1}-The conditions were bitterly
cold and wet.
453
00:22:45,066 --> 00:22:48,966
{\an1}This meant that the textile
became waterlogged and icy,
454
00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:51,900
{\an1}and this caused the textile
to become very stiff
455
00:22:51,933 --> 00:22:54,933
{\an1}and not very flexible.
456
00:22:54,966 --> 00:22:56,766
-It's like trying
to put a dress on
457
00:22:56,800 --> 00:22:59,233
or a pair of jeans
that are frozen.
458
00:22:59,266 --> 00:23:01,566
{\an1}They're just not going to
quite fit on there.
459
00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:04,666
{\an1}And in fact, there was
a Goodyear technician on hand
460
00:23:04,700 --> 00:23:08,066
{\an1}who observed the outer cover
being put on the
Hindenburg...
461
00:23:08,100 --> 00:23:09,633
{\an1}first time it was ever done...
462
00:23:09,666 --> 00:23:13,933
{\an1}who noted that, probably,
given those conditions...
463
00:23:13,966 --> 00:23:16,733
The freezing weather
and the dampness...
464
00:23:16,766 --> 00:23:19,433
That the outer cover
was not going to be properly
465
00:23:19,466 --> 00:23:23,200
put on as firmly
and tautly as it should be.
466
00:23:25,566 --> 00:23:27,600
{\an8}-When the
Hindenburg
was finished,
467
00:23:27,633 --> 00:23:33,033
{\an7}it took its first test flight
on March 4, 1936,
468
00:23:33,066 --> 00:23:36,266
with just a handful
of crewmembers aboard.
469
00:23:36,300 --> 00:23:39,933
And within minutes,
they detected a problem.
470
00:23:39,966 --> 00:23:41,466
{\an1}-Once it was up in the skies,
471
00:23:41,500 --> 00:23:45,133
{\an1}they noticed a sort of
fluttering of this textile
472
00:23:45,166 --> 00:23:47,833
{\an1}that was coating the Hindenburg.
473
00:23:47,866 --> 00:23:50,266
{\an1}What they didn't realize was
that this fluttering
474
00:23:50,300 --> 00:23:51,800
was being transferred
475
00:23:51,833 --> 00:23:56,666
to the metal skeleton
of the
Hindenburg.
476
00:23:56,700 --> 00:23:57,933
-Back in the hangar,
477
00:23:57,966 --> 00:24:02,400
{\an1}the technicians desperately
searched for a solution.
478
00:24:02,433 --> 00:24:05,466
{\an1}They attempted to make the outer
cover fit more tightly
479
00:24:05,500 --> 00:24:09,200
{\an1}by applying a highly flammable
fabric lacquer known as
480
00:24:09,233 --> 00:24:11,233
"aircraft dope."
481
00:24:11,266 --> 00:24:13,966
{\an1}-One of the things that
the Zeppelin Company did
482
00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:18,233
{\an1}was to paint two extra coats
of dope across the entire top.
483
00:24:18,266 --> 00:24:19,966
{\an1}Now, this is a significant
amount of weight
484
00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:21,100
and a lot of expense,
485
00:24:21,133 --> 00:24:23,500
but the hope was that
this would remove
486
00:24:23,533 --> 00:24:27,333
{\an1}the potentially destructive
flutter.
487
00:24:27,366 --> 00:24:29,900
{\an1}-Despite these attempts to fix
the problem,
488
00:24:29,933 --> 00:24:32,233
the fabric continued to flutter.
489
00:24:34,866 --> 00:24:38,400
{\an1}But the added drag and
constant vibrations didn't seem
490
00:24:38,433 --> 00:24:41,433
{\an1}to affect the airship's
overall flight performance,
491
00:24:41,466 --> 00:24:45,400
{\an1}so the problem went unsolved.
492
00:24:45,433 --> 00:24:48,533
{\an1}The fluttering fabric would play
a more significant role
493
00:24:48,566 --> 00:24:50,593
{\an1}in the
494
00:24:48,566 --> 00:24:52,666
destruction
than previously understood.
495
00:24:50,617 --> 00:24:52,700
Hindenburg's
496
00:24:52,700 --> 00:24:54,900
{\an1}-This issue of fluttering
in an airship
497
00:24:54,933 --> 00:24:58,633
{\an1}was well known on the smaller
ones that had come before.
498
00:24:58,666 --> 00:24:59,966
The difference with
the
Hindenburg
499
00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:03,166
{\an8}was that it was on
a vastly larger scale,
500
00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:05,733
{\an7}so the problem became amplified
in the same way
501
00:25:05,766 --> 00:25:07,900
{\an1}that the volume of the ship
was amplified as well.
502
00:25:07,933 --> 00:25:10,500
{\an1}And so it wasn't known how much
of a problem
503
00:25:10,533 --> 00:25:13,600
a large flutter
would be with the
Hindenburg.
504
00:25:13,633 --> 00:25:15,600
{\an1}Without that fluttering,
it's possible that
505
00:25:15,633 --> 00:25:17,194
{\an1}the
506
00:25:15,633 --> 00:25:18,800
disaster could
have been entirely avoided.
507
00:25:17,218 --> 00:25:18,833
{\an1}Hindenburg
508
00:25:18,833 --> 00:25:21,233
[ Explosion ]
509
00:25:23,500 --> 00:25:26,577
- {\an1}-Just moments into the
Hindenburg's - maiden flight,
510
00:25:26,633 --> 00:25:30,800
{\an1}concerns about its sloppy
construction were raised.
511
00:25:30,833 --> 00:25:33,400
{\an1}But the reason for its rushed
construction happened
512
00:25:33,433 --> 00:25:38,200
five years earlier
and affected millions of people.
513
00:25:38,233 --> 00:25:40,100
{\an1}-In 1929, the Wall Street crash
514
00:25:40,133 --> 00:25:41,900
had taken place
in the United States,
515
00:25:41,933 --> 00:25:45,000
{\an1}and that unleashed the worldwide
Great Depression.
516
00:25:45,033 --> 00:25:47,800
{\an1}So funding for large-scale
industrial and technological
517
00:25:47,833 --> 00:25:51,166
enterprises
began to wither away.
518
00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:54,666
-Germany's
economy was on its knees...
519
00:25:54,700 --> 00:25:59,333
{\an1}and Hugo Eckener was worried
about his budget.
520
00:25:59,366 --> 00:26:02,700
{\an1}Determined to keep his
ambitious airship on track,
521
00:26:02,733 --> 00:26:07,633
{\an1}he brought in financial
investors who sealed its fate.
522
00:26:07,666 --> 00:26:10,066
{\an1}-Trying to build the largest
aircraft the world
523
00:26:10,100 --> 00:26:13,433
{\an1}has ever seen in the middle
of the Great Depression
524
00:26:13,466 --> 00:26:15,533
was not good timing.
525
00:26:15,566 --> 00:26:19,733
{\an1}That meant that in order
to salvage the project,
526
00:26:19,766 --> 00:26:22,600
{\an1}he had to cut some deals
with the devil.
527
00:26:22,633 --> 00:26:30,633
{\an8}♪♪♪
528
00:26:32,300 --> 00:26:34,500
{\an7}-In the summer of 1933...
529
00:26:34,533 --> 00:26:37,400
{\an8}four years before
the
Hindenburg
exploded...
530
00:26:37,433 --> 00:26:39,900
{\an7}Eckener appealed to Hitler's
propaganda minister,
531
00:26:39,933 --> 00:26:41,166
{\an8}Joseph Goebbels,
532
00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:45,866
{\an7}for financial help to finish
the giant airship.
533
00:26:45,900 --> 00:26:49,666
{\an8}Goebbels jumped
at the opportunity.
534
00:26:49,700 --> 00:26:52,500
{\an7}-So the
Hindenburg
was seen
by Nazi party leadership,
535
00:26:52,533 --> 00:26:55,766
{\an7}particularly Joseph Goebbels,
as a massive propaganda coup.
536
00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:58,166
{\an8}Airships were this
symbol of greatness,
537
00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:01,733
{\an7}of technological progress,
of luxury.
538
00:27:01,766 --> 00:27:03,933
{\an7}-To finish the pioneering
airship,
539
00:27:03,966 --> 00:27:05,866
{\an7}the Nazi regime invested funds
540
00:27:05,900 --> 00:27:10,533
{\an7}totaling the equivalent of more
than $10 million today.
541
00:27:10,566 --> 00:27:12,700
{\an7}-There's no such thing
as a free lunch,
542
00:27:12,733 --> 00:27:17,633
{\an7}and the money that the Nazis
gave had strings attached.
543
00:27:17,666 --> 00:27:20,000
-After five years
of construction,
544
00:27:20,033 --> 00:27:22,660
{\an1}the
545
00:27:20,033 --> 00:27:25,333
was finally
finished in March 1936.
546
00:27:22,684 --> 00:27:25,366
Hindenburg
547
00:27:25,366 --> 00:27:29,333
{\an1}Goebbels almost immediately put
his propaganda machine to work,
548
00:27:29,366 --> 00:27:33,500
emblazoning the ship
with Nazi swastikas.
549
00:27:33,533 --> 00:27:36,433
{\an1}Instead of test flights
over the open ocean,
550
00:27:36,466 --> 00:27:39,733
{\an1}he commandeered the airship
for short publicity flights
551
00:27:39,766 --> 00:27:43,466
over Germany
to increase Nazi popularity.
552
00:27:43,500 --> 00:27:44,909
{\an1}-The
Hindenburg
became the means
553
00:27:44,933 --> 00:27:49,900
{\an1}by which the Nazis promoted
their philosophy to the skies.
554
00:27:49,933 --> 00:27:51,527
{\an1}-The
555
00:27:49,933 --> 00:27:53,166
became
this symbol of Nazi Germany
556
00:27:51,551 --> 00:27:53,200
Hindenburg
557
00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:54,566
in many respects,
558
00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:56,976
{\an1}and that would have put enormous
pressure on the Zeppelin Company
559
00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:59,966
{\an1}and on the crew of the airship
to perform perfectly.
560
00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:02,400
{\an1}[ Cheers and applause ]
561
00:28:02,433 --> 00:28:03,660
{\an1}-The
562
00:28:02,433 --> 00:28:04,933
became a stand-in for Nazi
563
00:28:03,684 --> 00:28:04,966
Hindenburg
564
00:28:04,966 --> 00:28:09,033
{\an1}Germany's technical prowess
and mechanical expertise...
565
00:28:09,066 --> 00:28:14,400
{\an1}without ever being properly
tested for long-range flight.
566
00:28:14,433 --> 00:28:16,566
{\an1}-We can see here the ways
in which this new technology
567
00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:18,766
has been appropriated
by the Nazi party
568
00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:20,266
{\an1}who helped to fund it.
569
00:28:20,300 --> 00:28:22,800
{\an1}Before it's even had a chance to
serve its commercial purposes,
570
00:28:22,833 --> 00:28:25,033
{\an1}it's already being deployed
as a propaganda tool
571
00:28:25,066 --> 00:28:27,633
for the Nazi regime.
572
00:28:27,666 --> 00:28:30,333
-The Zeppelin Company
took shortcuts.
573
00:28:30,366 --> 00:28:33,366
{\an1}They took shortcuts because
of the pressure they were under.
574
00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:37,433
{\an1}There was too much support
behind it for it to fail.
575
00:28:41,333 --> 00:28:44,333
{\an1}-Keen to start making money
on their investment,
576
00:28:44,366 --> 00:28:45,543
Zeppelin scheduled the
577
00:28:44,366 --> 00:28:46,766
first
578
00:28:45,567 --> 00:28:46,800
Hindenburg's
579
00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:49,066
commercial flight.
580
00:28:49,100 --> 00:28:51,900
But the limited
safety testing...
581
00:28:51,933 --> 00:28:54,700
{\an1}ill-fitting outer covering...
582
00:28:54,733 --> 00:28:58,400
{\an1}and pressure from the Nazis
to showcase perfection...
583
00:28:58,433 --> 00:29:01,633
left the Hindenburg compromised.
584
00:29:01,666 --> 00:29:04,533
{\an1}It was only a matter of time
before the shortcuts
585
00:29:04,566 --> 00:29:06,200
were revealed.
586
00:29:09,833 --> 00:29:11,233
To this day,
587
00:29:11,266 --> 00:29:13,560
{\an1}the
588
00:29:11,266 --> 00:29:15,900
remains
the largest aircraft ever flown.
589
00:29:13,584 --> 00:29:15,933
Hindenburg
590
00:29:15,933 --> 00:29:18,466
{\an1}The airship was the culmination
of a movement
591
00:29:18,500 --> 00:29:21,033
toward
lighter-than-air transportation
592
00:29:21,066 --> 00:29:25,900
that began
eight decades earlier.
593
00:29:25,933 --> 00:29:29,700
In 1852, the world's
first airship,
594
00:29:29,733 --> 00:29:32,333
{\an1}built by French inventor
Henri Giffard,
595
00:29:32,366 --> 00:29:35,533
flew a distance
of more than 20 miles.
596
00:29:35,566 --> 00:29:40,033
{\an1}But it was German inventor
Graf Von Zeppelin who, in 1900,
597
00:29:40,066 --> 00:29:43,266
{\an1}successfully demonstrated
the real potential
598
00:29:43,300 --> 00:29:45,766
{\an1}of the motorized airship.
599
00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:49,700
{\an1}-It was a transition from simply
getting up into the air
600
00:29:49,733 --> 00:29:53,166
{\an7}and being able to move
where the wind took you,
601
00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:56,900
{\an7}to getting up into the air
and steering against the wind,
602
00:29:56,933 --> 00:30:00,600
{\an8}which is a big,
big step in aviation.
603
00:30:00,633 --> 00:30:02,500
{\an7}-The secret to Zeppelin's
concept
604
00:30:02,533 --> 00:30:06,700
{\an8}lay inside the ship's
protective fabric covering:
605
00:30:06,733 --> 00:30:09,766
{\an8}A series of gasbags
provided the airship
606
00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:12,966
{\an8}with enough buoyancy
to carry an engine...
607
00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:15,133
{\an8}and a payload.
608
00:30:15,166 --> 00:30:16,976
{\an7}-Of course if you've got
a lot of gas balloons,
609
00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:18,133
{\an7}you've got a lot of payload,
610
00:30:18,166 --> 00:30:20,000
{\an8}so you can carry
a really big engine.
611
00:30:20,033 --> 00:30:22,033
{\an8}You can have multiple
propellers,
612
00:30:22,066 --> 00:30:25,933
{\an8}and that that
was his breakthrough.
613
00:30:25,966 --> 00:30:28,166
-Zeppelin
demonstrated that air travel
614
00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:30,333
could be more
than a recreational activity
615
00:30:30,366 --> 00:30:33,733
for adventurers
and thrill seekers.
616
00:30:33,766 --> 00:30:39,766
{\an1}The airship had the potential to
be used for a great deal more.
617
00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:43,000
{\an1}-And this is really where
the Zeppelin makes its mark,
618
00:30:43,033 --> 00:30:46,466
{\an1}because it's really the first
craft that can reasonably
619
00:30:46,500 --> 00:30:49,433
and predictably steer
where it wants to go,
620
00:30:49,466 --> 00:30:52,000
{\an1}take off where it wants to go,
and land where it wants to go.
621
00:30:52,033 --> 00:30:53,342
{\an1}Remember, this is a time
when no one
622
00:30:53,366 --> 00:30:55,366
had ever been
sort of air lifted up
623
00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:57,433
{\an1}and suddenly looking down
on the world.
624
00:30:57,466 --> 00:31:00,866
{\an1}So this was quite a novelty
at the time -
625
00:31:00,900 --> 00:31:03,000
and that was the plan
after the war,
626
00:31:03,033 --> 00:31:08,600
{\an1}was to create a passenger
service for an airline.
627
00:31:08,633 --> 00:31:12,100
-By the time disaster
struck in 1937,
628
00:31:12,133 --> 00:31:13,844
{\an1}the
629
00:31:12,133 --> 00:31:15,600
had already
delivered on its promise
630
00:31:13,868 --> 00:31:15,633
Hindenburg
631
00:31:15,633 --> 00:31:19,866
{\an1}to be the world leader
in international aviation.
632
00:31:19,900 --> 00:31:21,733
{\an1}In its first nine months,
633
00:31:21,766 --> 00:31:25,633
it made 34 successful
Atlantic crossings...
634
00:31:25,666 --> 00:31:28,766
{\an1}and flew almost 3,000 passengers
635
00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:33,066
{\an1}between Europe and North and
South America in record time.
636
00:31:33,100 --> 00:31:34,276
{\an1}-It's been an incredible season.
637
00:31:34,300 --> 00:31:38,633
200,000 miles,
not a single problem.
638
00:31:38,666 --> 00:31:41,133
-But the
Hindenburg's
shimmering canvas
639
00:31:41,166 --> 00:31:44,666
{\an1}was hiding a deadly problem.
640
00:31:44,700 --> 00:31:46,500
{\an1}One of the giant gasbags,
641
00:31:46,533 --> 00:31:49,333
containing the highly
explosive hydrogen,
642
00:31:49,366 --> 00:31:51,933
{\an1}was on the brink of rupturing...
643
00:31:51,966 --> 00:31:54,933
{\an1}and no one had noticed.
644
00:31:54,966 --> 00:32:01,566
{\an1}-Any leak of hydrogen on
an airship is potentially fatal.
645
00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:05,866
If you have gasbags
that are damaged,
646
00:32:05,900 --> 00:32:08,933
there's no telling
how much hydrogen can escape.
647
00:32:08,966 --> 00:32:12,133
{\an1}It's clearly a catastrophic
problem.
648
00:32:12,166 --> 00:32:20,166
{\an8}♪♪♪
649
00:32:21,933 --> 00:32:23,966
{\an8}-In December 1936...
650
00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:27,566
{\an8}five months before
the
Hindenburg
exploded...
651
00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:28,733
The colossal airship
652
00:32:28,766 --> 00:32:33,033
{\an1}was undergoing its first
major overhaul.
653
00:32:33,066 --> 00:32:37,833
{\an1}After a triumphant first year,
10 new cabins were installed
654
00:32:37,866 --> 00:32:40,266
to increase
the airship's capacity
655
00:32:40,300 --> 00:32:44,100
{\an1}and help make the
Hindenburg
profitable for the first time.
656
00:32:44,133 --> 00:32:47,800
{\an1}-They proved the concept
that luxury travel was possible,
657
00:32:47,833 --> 00:32:51,200
{\an1}they could do the distances,
that people wanted to do it.
658
00:32:51,233 --> 00:32:54,600
{\an1}There was massive demand
and they could do it in luxury,
659
00:32:54,633 --> 00:32:57,500
but they just
couldn't make money.
660
00:32:57,533 --> 00:33:00,166
{\an1}-To create the additional
cabin space,
661
00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:03,933
{\an1}the shape of one of the
airship's 16 hydrogen gasbags
662
00:33:03,966 --> 00:33:06,266
had to be changed.
663
00:33:06,300 --> 00:33:08,433
{\an1}-It's like altering a dress
or a jacket.
664
00:33:08,466 --> 00:33:13,833
{\an1}They needed to refit this gasbag
for additional passenger cabins.
665
00:33:13,866 --> 00:33:15,200
{\an1}-A maintenance report...
666
00:33:15,233 --> 00:33:17,366
{\an1}only recently discovered
in the archives
667
00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:20,000
{\an1}at the University of Texas
at Dallas...
668
00:33:20,033 --> 00:33:23,233
Documents how,
during the remodeling process,
669
00:33:23,266 --> 00:33:26,566
an alarming problem
was discovered.
670
00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:28,666
-When the workmen
pull the gasbag out,
671
00:33:28,700 --> 00:33:32,400
{\an1}they discover chafing abrasions
at the top of it
672
00:33:32,433 --> 00:33:36,200
that made it
vulnerable to a leak.
673
00:33:36,233 --> 00:33:39,733
{\an1}-Once again, the airship's
ill-fitting outer skin
674
00:33:39,766 --> 00:33:42,066
{\an1}was the source of the trouble.
675
00:33:42,100 --> 00:33:45,066
{\an1}The vibrations caused by
the fluttering fabric
676
00:33:45,100 --> 00:33:49,066
loosened the wires
that kept the gasbag in place.
677
00:33:49,100 --> 00:33:53,233
{\an1}In turn, those wires then rubbed
against the cotton fabric
678
00:33:53,266 --> 00:33:57,133
of the gasbag,
wearing it dangerously thin.
679
00:33:57,166 --> 00:34:01,366
{\an1}-Some protective wiring that
was supposed to increase
680
00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:03,166
{\an1}the safety of the gasbags
681
00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:06,666
actually was having
the opposite effect.
682
00:34:06,700 --> 00:34:09,800
{\an1}-And so by compromising
the structural integrity
683
00:34:09,833 --> 00:34:11,300
{\an8}of those gasbags,
684
00:34:11,333 --> 00:34:14,400
{\an7}that's representing a risk point
of hydrogen
685
00:34:14,433 --> 00:34:16,600
{\an1}potentially leaking out.
686
00:34:18,633 --> 00:34:21,333
{\an1}-The same maintenance report
goes on to reveal that,
687
00:34:21,366 --> 00:34:24,500
{\an1}although the damaged gasbag
was fixed,
688
00:34:24,533 --> 00:34:28,433
{\an1}the wires meant to hold it
in place were simply tied back
689
00:34:28,466 --> 00:34:32,433
{\an1}and not properly secured.
690
00:34:32,466 --> 00:34:35,666
{\an1}-It's incredible that the best
solution that they could
691
00:34:35,700 --> 00:34:40,666
{\an1}come up with for a technological
wonder was tape and twine.
692
00:34:40,700 --> 00:34:44,800
In the end, clearly,
it didn't work.
693
00:34:44,833 --> 00:34:47,800
{\an1}-This, to me, seems like a
little bit of a patch solution,
694
00:34:47,833 --> 00:34:51,433
{\an1}considering that the hydrogen
gasbags are so important
695
00:34:51,466 --> 00:34:53,400
and their integrity
696
00:34:53,433 --> 00:34:57,266
is pretty crucial
to the safety of the aircraft.
697
00:34:57,300 --> 00:35:00,033
{\an1}-The damage may have been
patched up,
698
00:35:00,066 --> 00:35:02,433
but the Zeppelin team
was still no closer
699
00:35:02,466 --> 00:35:07,300
{\an1}to resolving the issue with
the airship's fluttering fabric.
700
00:35:07,333 --> 00:35:09,166
-They thought
that they'd limited
701
00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:10,966
{\an1}the extent of the damage,
702
00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:13,300
{\an1}but why it was happening
was still a puzzle
703
00:35:13,333 --> 00:35:16,333
{\an7}that they were intently
working on.
704
00:35:16,366 --> 00:35:20,366
{\an7}-Just days after the potential
hydrogen leak was fixed,
705
00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:24,800
{\an7}the
Hindenburg
began the
countdown to its second season.
706
00:35:24,833 --> 00:35:28,433
{\an1}The airship's design flaws
and makeshift repairs
707
00:35:28,466 --> 00:35:31,700
had turned it
into a ticking time bomb.
708
00:35:31,733 --> 00:35:35,533
{\an1}And one senior member of
the Zeppelin team realized
709
00:35:35,566 --> 00:35:38,100
just how dangerous
it had become.
710
00:35:38,133 --> 00:35:40,166
{\an1}But he chose to keep quiet.
711
00:35:40,200 --> 00:35:47,700
{\an8}♪♪♪
712
00:35:47,733 --> 00:35:50,766
{\an1}For the fateful 1937 season,
713
00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:52,860
{\an1}the
714
00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:54,966
would be flown
by several different captains.
715
00:35:52,884 --> 00:35:55,000
{\an1}Hindenburg
716
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:59,433
{\an1}Each one had been personally
trained by best in the business.
717
00:35:59,466 --> 00:36:02,266
-Ernst Lehmann was
the most experienced
718
00:36:02,300 --> 00:36:03,733
{\an1}Zeppelin pilot in the world.
719
00:36:03,766 --> 00:36:05,266
{\an1}He flew through World War I.
720
00:36:05,300 --> 00:36:07,800
{\an1}He was trained by Hugo Eckener.
721
00:36:07,833 --> 00:36:12,100
{\an1}Lehmann is one of the chief
pilots for the
Hindenburg.
722
00:36:12,133 --> 00:36:17,133
{\an1}He knows it, every inch,
bow to stern.
723
00:36:17,166 --> 00:36:19,700
-Now, a letter,
recently discovered
724
00:36:19,733 --> 00:36:22,366
in the records of
the Bureau of Air Commerce,
725
00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:26,433
{\an1}shows Lehmann knew about
the damaged gasbag...
726
00:36:26,466 --> 00:36:29,600
{\an1}and the shoddy repairs.
727
00:36:29,633 --> 00:36:32,466
{\an1}-He told a good friend of his
named Leonhard Adelt,
728
00:36:32,500 --> 00:36:33,900
who was a journalist,
729
00:36:33,933 --> 00:36:37,433
{\an1}that he had very deep worries
about the
Hindenburg
730
00:36:37,466 --> 00:36:39,666
{\an1}because of the gasbag damage.
731
00:36:39,700 --> 00:36:42,400
{\an1}This is very secretive
information.
732
00:36:42,433 --> 00:36:46,200
{\an1}This is not well known
outside the company
733
00:36:46,233 --> 00:36:49,700
and barely known
inside the company.
734
00:36:49,733 --> 00:36:52,033
{\an1}So he's really confided
something in someone
735
00:36:52,066 --> 00:36:55,166
{\an1}he really respects and trusts.
736
00:36:55,200 --> 00:36:57,100
{\an1}-Written by Leonhard Adelt,
737
00:36:57,133 --> 00:36:59,133
the letter reveals
that Lehmann was prepared
738
00:36:59,166 --> 00:37:04,066
{\an1}to make a major personal
sacrifice to prevent disaster.
739
00:37:04,100 --> 00:37:07,233
{\an1}-Lehmann tells Leonhard Adelt,
"I'm so worried about this
740
00:37:07,266 --> 00:37:09,433
that I will
fly on the
Hindenburg
741
00:37:09,466 --> 00:37:14,166
{\an1}because there may be a problem
and the experience of the staff
742
00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:16,866
{\an1}and the crew won't be enough
to handle it.
743
00:37:16,900 --> 00:37:18,400
{\an1}I will be there to help."
744
00:37:18,433 --> 00:37:19,933
We never knew this.
745
00:37:19,966 --> 00:37:23,700
{\an1}This was an incredible admission
by Captain Lehmann
746
00:37:23,733 --> 00:37:26,800
of a real problem
on the
Hindenburg.
747
00:37:26,833 --> 00:37:31,333
-On May 3, 1937,
Lehmann boarded the
Hindenburg
748
00:37:31,366 --> 00:37:34,800
for what would be
its final flight.
749
00:37:34,833 --> 00:37:37,400
{\an1}-It's clear from the fact
that Lehmann agreed to fly
750
00:37:37,433 --> 00:37:39,033
on the final flight
751
00:37:39,066 --> 00:37:43,233
that he expected
some sort of problems,
752
00:37:43,266 --> 00:37:45,000
but ones that
could be manageable.
753
00:37:45,033 --> 00:37:47,733
{\an1}I don't think he anticipated
catastrophe.
754
00:37:47,766 --> 00:37:49,666
{\an1}I think he thought difficulty,
755
00:37:49,700 --> 00:37:52,100
grave difficulty,
but not catastrophe.
756
00:37:54,466 --> 00:37:58,733
{\an1}-By noon on May 5th...
The day before the crash...
757
00:37:58,766 --> 00:38:00,960
{\an1}the
758
00:37:58,766 --> 00:38:03,200
was 1,000 miles
from its destination...
759
00:38:00,984 --> 00:38:03,233
{\an1}Hindenburg
760
00:38:03,233 --> 00:38:04,666
{\an1}which would play its own key
761
00:38:04,700 --> 00:38:08,966
part in the airship's
destruction.
762
00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:12,166
{\an1}-The reason they chose Lakehurst
was proximity to the cities,
763
00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:14,300
{\an1}but it's prone to sea fog
764
00:38:14,333 --> 00:38:17,366
{\an1}and it's prone to other
bad weather phenomena.
765
00:38:17,400 --> 00:38:20,866
{\an1}So it's actually a rotten place
to build an airship base.
766
00:38:20,900 --> 00:38:28,900
{\an8}♪♪♪
767
00:38:29,833 --> 00:38:33,500
{\an7}-Nearly 20 years earlier,
when many believed the airship
768
00:38:33,533 --> 00:38:36,133
was the future
of international travel,
769
00:38:36,166 --> 00:38:38,900
{\an1}the U.S. Navy built a new
facility
770
00:38:38,933 --> 00:38:40,600
{\an1}in Lakehurst, New Jersey.
771
00:38:42,700 --> 00:38:46,966
{\an1}They spent the equivalent
of $140 million,
772
00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:51,500
{\an1}hoping to make a profit on this
new form of transportation.
773
00:38:51,533 --> 00:38:55,433
{\an1}-The Lakehurst base was
absolutely the pinnacle
774
00:38:55,466 --> 00:38:57,966
{\an7}of airship development
in the United States.
775
00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:01,966
{\an8}It had the largest
airship facility in the world.
776
00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:03,933
{\an8}It was, in fact,
the largest room
777
00:39:03,966 --> 00:39:05,433
{\an7}ever constructed in the world
778
00:39:05,466 --> 00:39:08,100
{\an8}in order to house
these enormous airships.
779
00:39:08,133 --> 00:39:09,909
{\an8}-In the same way that
the
Hindenburg
was a flagship
780
00:39:09,933 --> 00:39:11,900
{\an7}for German airship engineering,
781
00:39:11,933 --> 00:39:15,200
{\an8}so Lakehurst was
a flagship site for the U.S.
782
00:39:15,233 --> 00:39:18,800
kind of investment
in airships ships as well.
783
00:39:18,833 --> 00:39:21,266
-But despite its
impressive infrastructure,
784
00:39:21,300 --> 00:39:24,600
{\an1}there was a major problem
with the site.
785
00:39:24,633 --> 00:39:27,333
{\an1}Lakehurst was a terrible
location,
786
00:39:27,366 --> 00:39:30,000
exposed and prone to bad weather
787
00:39:30,033 --> 00:39:32,833
coming straight off
the North Atlantic.
788
00:39:32,866 --> 00:39:35,100
{\an1}-The optimal placement
for safety
789
00:39:35,133 --> 00:39:38,133
{\an1}and function of any airship base
790
00:39:38,166 --> 00:39:41,033
{\an1}is a hundred miles inland.
791
00:39:41,066 --> 00:39:43,866
{\an1}Lakehurst was 14 miles inland.
792
00:39:43,900 --> 00:39:46,566
{\an1}-The Lakehurst airbase
was renowned
793
00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:49,033
{\an1}for being troubled by storms...
794
00:39:49,066 --> 00:39:52,500
Not an ideal scenario
if you trying to land an airship
795
00:39:52,533 --> 00:39:55,266
that is filled
with hydrogen gas.
796
00:39:57,633 --> 00:40:02,833
{\an7}-In 1927, nearly 10 years
before the
Hindenburg
disaster,
797
00:40:02,866 --> 00:40:04,610
an American airship, the
798
00:40:04,634 --> 00:40:06,400
USS Los Angeles,
799
00:40:06,433 --> 00:40:09,733
{\an1}was caught by a gust of wind.
800
00:40:09,766 --> 00:40:14,100
{\an1}A photographer captured
the incredible moment on film.
801
00:40:14,133 --> 00:40:17,666
{\an1}-At Lakehurst, the
Los Angeles
has its tail turned vertical
802
00:40:17,700 --> 00:40:19,933
{\an1}by the strength of the wind.
803
00:40:19,966 --> 00:40:26,400
{\an1}-It makes the airship stand
fully up with people inside.
804
00:40:26,433 --> 00:40:29,566
{\an1}People are falling down,
things are crashing down,
805
00:40:29,600 --> 00:40:33,933
{\an1}gasoline's flooding down.
806
00:40:33,966 --> 00:40:36,900
{\an1}And only after several minutes
did the air breeze stop
807
00:40:36,933 --> 00:40:40,733
{\an1}and it dropped back down
onto its side.
808
00:40:40,766 --> 00:40:42,833
{\an1}-I think it's fair to say
that it was not the ideal
809
00:40:42,866 --> 00:40:44,466
{\an1}location for an airship base,
810
00:40:44,500 --> 00:40:47,133
in a place that was
constantly buffeted by storms,
811
00:40:47,166 --> 00:40:49,933
{\an1}both in terms of strong winds
and in terms of thunderstorms
812
00:40:49,966 --> 00:40:52,233
{\an1}with electrical charge.
813
00:40:52,266 --> 00:40:56,500
{\an1}-Despite concerns after
the
USS Los Angeles
incident,
814
00:40:56,533 --> 00:40:59,100
{\an1}the Navy's financial investment
in Lakehurst
815
00:40:59,133 --> 00:41:01,500
{\an1}kept the facility open.
816
00:41:01,533 --> 00:41:04,366
{\an1}And the decision seemed
like a smart one.
817
00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:08,633
For the next 10 years
there were no major incidents.
818
00:41:11,300 --> 00:41:15,733
{\an8}Until May 6, 1937.
819
00:41:15,766 --> 00:41:17,893
{\an7}At 11:30 AM, on the day
of the
820
00:41:15,766 --> 00:41:20,066
{\an8}disaster,
821
00:41:17,917 --> 00:41:20,100
{\an8}Hindenburg
822
00:41:20,100 --> 00:41:22,733
the commander of
the U.S. Naval Air Station
823
00:41:22,766 --> 00:41:26,233
received
a disturbing weather report.
824
00:41:26,266 --> 00:41:28,233
{\an1}Flying conditions in the area
825
00:41:28,266 --> 00:41:32,700
were described
as "average to undesirable."
826
00:41:32,733 --> 00:41:33,977
{\an1}The
827
00:41:32,733 --> 00:41:35,266
was just six-and-a-half hours
828
00:41:34,001 --> 00:41:35,300
Hindenburg
829
00:41:35,300 --> 00:41:38,100
{\an1}away from its destination.
830
00:41:38,133 --> 00:41:41,166
{\an1}Approaching the east coast
of the United States,
831
00:41:41,200 --> 00:41:42,677
{\an1}the
832
00:41:41,200 --> 00:41:44,200
was already behind schedule,
833
00:41:42,701 --> 00:41:44,233
Hindenburg
834
00:41:44,233 --> 00:41:47,033
{\an1}delayed by a strong headwind.
835
00:41:47,066 --> 00:41:50,633
{\an1}This delay to the
Hindenburg's
arrival in New Jersey
836
00:41:50,666 --> 00:41:53,666
{\an1}would prove to be deadly.
837
00:41:53,700 --> 00:41:56,433
-There was actually
a one-hour window
838
00:41:56,466 --> 00:41:59,466
when the weather was
completely clear over Lakehurst,
839
00:41:59,500 --> 00:42:00,900
{\an1}meaning that the Hindenburg
840
00:42:00,933 --> 00:42:03,033
could have landed
in perfect safety
841
00:42:03,066 --> 00:42:05,100
{\an1}had it have been there
at that time.
842
00:42:05,133 --> 00:42:11,600
{\an8}♪♪♪
843
00:42:11,633 --> 00:42:13,633
{\an1}-The
Hindenburg
had been
scheduled to arrive
844
00:42:13,666 --> 00:42:17,733
{\an1}at Lakehurst airship base
at 6:00 AM.
845
00:42:17,766 --> 00:42:22,433
{\an1}But the winds had cut the
airship's speed almost in half.
846
00:42:22,466 --> 00:42:23,809
{\an1}-The
Hindenburg
normally travels
847
00:42:23,833 --> 00:42:25,933
at 70 miles per hour
at a cruising speed.
848
00:42:25,966 --> 00:42:27,500
It's down to 55.
849
00:42:27,533 --> 00:42:29,600
Within a day, it's down to 37.
850
00:42:29,633 --> 00:42:31,100
It's barely moving.
851
00:42:31,133 --> 00:42:33,666
{\an1}The outer cover is fluttering
tremendously
852
00:42:33,700 --> 00:42:37,000
and taking the brunt
of all these heavy headwinds.
853
00:42:37,033 --> 00:42:39,233
{\an1}-The
Hindenburg
had been delayed
on its journey,
854
00:42:39,266 --> 00:42:41,066
{\an1}so the captain had radioed ahead
855
00:42:41,100 --> 00:42:44,700
to the base
to tell of this delay
856
00:42:44,733 --> 00:42:48,300
{\an1}-The landing was rescheduled
for 6:00 PM
857
00:42:48,333 --> 00:42:52,733
{\an1}and the ground crew was ordered
to stand down until then.
858
00:42:52,766 --> 00:42:55,733
{\an1}But, as the
Hindenburg
approached the U.S. coastline,
859
00:42:55,766 --> 00:42:58,100
the winds dropped
and the airship
860
00:42:58,133 --> 00:43:01,633
{\an1}began to make up lost time.
861
00:43:01,666 --> 00:43:03,400
At around 4:00 PM,
862
00:43:03,433 --> 00:43:05,210
{\an1}the
863
00:43:03,433 --> 00:43:07,033
was finally
approaching Lakehurst.
864
00:43:05,234 --> 00:43:07,066
Hindenburg
865
00:43:07,066 --> 00:43:10,300
{\an1}Conditions were unsettled,
but a short break in the weather
866
00:43:10,333 --> 00:43:13,600
{\an1}provided an opportunity to land.
867
00:43:13,633 --> 00:43:16,333
But now there was
another problem.
868
00:43:16,366 --> 00:43:19,200
{\an1}Because the
Hindenburg's
speed
had increased,
869
00:43:19,233 --> 00:43:23,633
{\an1}the ship was now two hours ahead
of its revised time of arrival
870
00:43:23,666 --> 00:43:26,733
and the ground crew
was nowhere to be found.
871
00:43:26,766 --> 00:43:28,400
-Generally,
an airship would take
872
00:43:28,433 --> 00:43:31,666
{\an1}over 300 people to bring it in,
873
00:43:31,700 --> 00:43:34,100
{\an1}people who are literally
pulling on ropes
874
00:43:34,133 --> 00:43:35,433
{\an1}that are going up to the ship
875
00:43:35,466 --> 00:43:38,400
{\an1}and helping bring it back
to the ground.
876
00:43:38,433 --> 00:43:41,133
{\an1}-It becomes a huge operation,
but also one that's only ever
877
00:43:41,166 --> 00:43:43,966
rolled out at a time
when an airship is coming in.
878
00:43:46,433 --> 00:43:47,966
-With the ground crew
not scheduled
879
00:43:48,000 --> 00:43:50,666
to return to the base
for another two hours,
880
00:43:50,700 --> 00:43:52,394
the
881
00:43:52,418 --> 00:43:54,133
Hindenburg was forced to wait.
882
00:43:54,166 --> 00:43:55,300
{\an1}-The
Hindenburg
ended up
883
00:43:55,333 --> 00:43:56,900
{\an1}circling around the base
for a while,
884
00:43:56,933 --> 00:43:59,166
while the ground crew
scrambled themselves together
885
00:43:59,200 --> 00:44:00,733
{\an1}and got ready for the landing.
886
00:44:00,766 --> 00:44:02,766
[ Thunder rumbles ]
887
00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:05,900
{\an1}-But as the
Hindenburg
stayed
in its holding pattern,
888
00:44:05,933 --> 00:44:08,833
{\an1}the weather grew much worse.
889
00:44:08,866 --> 00:44:12,833
{\an1}-Landing an airship is difficult
in the best weather conditions,
890
00:44:12,866 --> 00:44:15,600
{\an1}but here we have churning skies,
891
00:44:15,633 --> 00:44:19,866
{\an1}there had been thunderstorms
throughout the area all day.
892
00:44:19,900 --> 00:44:24,433
{\an1}-At 5:12 PM, Lakehurst base
commander Charles Rosendahl
893
00:44:24,466 --> 00:44:28,100
{\an1}finally gave the
Hindenburg
clearance to land.
894
00:44:28,133 --> 00:44:32,333
{\an1}-Rosendahl said, "Weather
conditions have settled,
895
00:44:32,366 --> 00:44:34,133
recommend landing."
896
00:44:34,166 --> 00:44:37,133
{\an1}-But he had badly misjudged
the weather.
897
00:44:37,166 --> 00:44:41,066
{\an1}Using radar to forecast the
weather was still years away.
898
00:44:41,100 --> 00:44:44,766
{\an1}The airbase relied on basic
meteorological instruments
899
00:44:44,800 --> 00:44:46,866
and ground observers.
900
00:44:46,900 --> 00:44:49,966
{\an1}By the time the
Hindenburg
was in position to land,
901
00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:53,233
{\an1}the storm was directly
over the base.
902
00:44:53,266 --> 00:44:54,833
{\an1}-There was thunder in the air.
903
00:44:54,866 --> 00:44:56,200
{\an1}There was dampness in the air.
904
00:44:56,233 --> 00:44:57,700
{\an7}There was lightning around.
905
00:44:57,733 --> 00:44:59,300
{\an8}They weren't very
good conditions.
906
00:44:59,333 --> 00:45:01,533
{\an7}They shouldn't have landed
when they did.
907
00:45:04,233 --> 00:45:06,166
-If the
Hindenburg
had waited out the storm
908
00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:07,800
away from Lakehurst,
909
00:45:07,833 --> 00:45:09,900
there was still
a chance disaster
910
00:45:09,933 --> 00:45:12,966
{\an1}could have been averted.
911
00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:17,200
{\an1}But that would have delayed the
return journey back to Europe...
912
00:45:17,233 --> 00:45:19,100
{\an1}which was not acceptable
913
00:45:19,133 --> 00:45:20,800
for brand Hindenburg.
914
00:45:22,800 --> 00:45:26,066
{\an1}-There was enormous pressure
to land the ship
915
00:45:26,100 --> 00:45:28,633
and take off
as quickly as possible,
916
00:45:28,666 --> 00:45:32,966
{\an1}because it was completely booked
with 70 passengers
917
00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:35,000
{\an1}who were headed off to Europe,
918
00:45:35,033 --> 00:45:38,700
which meant the ship
was being steered into disaster.
919
00:45:41,500 --> 00:45:43,677
- -The
- Hindenburg was the world's first
920
00:45:43,733 --> 00:45:48,033
Regular transatlantic
passenger air service.
921
00:45:48,066 --> 00:45:49,900
{\an1}But on its final flight,
922
00:45:49,933 --> 00:45:53,833
{\an1}it was running half-a-day
behind schedule.
923
00:45:53,866 --> 00:45:55,166
A series of mistakes
924
00:45:55,200 --> 00:45:59,066
{\an1}were already conspiring
against the airship...
925
00:45:59,100 --> 00:46:01,833
{\an1}And now there was added stress.
926
00:46:01,866 --> 00:46:03,366
[ Thunder rumbles ]
927
00:46:03,400 --> 00:46:05,166
-Landing airships
in thunderstorms
928
00:46:05,200 --> 00:46:07,233
is not a good idea...
929
00:46:07,266 --> 00:46:09,766
But one of the major
contributors to them landing
930
00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:13,866
{\an1}when they did was the pressure
that that particular flight back
931
00:46:13,900 --> 00:46:15,733
was a very,
very important for them.
932
00:46:15,766 --> 00:46:23,233
{\an8}♪♪♪
933
00:46:23,266 --> 00:46:24,993
{\an1}-The
934
00:46:23,266 --> 00:46:26,766
was marketed
as a luxury passenger service
935
00:46:25,017 --> 00:46:26,800
Hindenburg
936
00:46:26,800 --> 00:46:30,300
that prided itself
on punctuality.
937
00:46:30,333 --> 00:46:32,266
{\an1}12 hours behind schedule,
938
00:46:32,300 --> 00:46:35,100
{\an1}there was a great deal
of pressure to land the airship,
939
00:46:35,133 --> 00:46:37,833
regardless of
the weather conditions.
940
00:46:37,866 --> 00:46:39,700
{\an1}-The Zeppelin Company,
for obvious reasons,
941
00:46:39,733 --> 00:46:42,566
were very keen
to minimize any delay
942
00:46:42,600 --> 00:46:45,533
{\an1}in the functioning of their
flagship craft to showcase
943
00:46:45,566 --> 00:46:50,800
{\an1}once again that the
Hindenburg
was the best of its kind.
944
00:46:50,833 --> 00:46:54,533
-A normal turnaround
took two days.
945
00:46:54,566 --> 00:46:57,466
{\an1}Because of the delayed arrival,
the crew would not have had
946
00:46:57,500 --> 00:47:01,100
{\an1}enough time to prepare
for the return journey.
947
00:47:01,133 --> 00:47:03,366
{\an7}-The pilots can be under stress
to get their passengers
948
00:47:03,400 --> 00:47:04,800
{\an7}to the destination on time,
949
00:47:04,833 --> 00:47:06,800
{\an7}so when things like weather
come into play,
950
00:47:06,833 --> 00:47:09,466
{\an7}they now have to battle
against this.
951
00:47:09,500 --> 00:47:12,933
{\an1}-The boss of Lakehurst was under
this political pressure,
952
00:47:12,966 --> 00:47:14,127
and the captain of the
953
00:47:14,151 --> 00:47:15,333
Hindenburg
954
00:47:15,366 --> 00:47:20,066
{\an1}was under political pressure,
to get on with it.
955
00:47:20,100 --> 00:47:22,933
-This return trip was
especially important
956
00:47:22,966 --> 00:47:25,333
{\an1}for the Zeppelin Company.
957
00:47:25,366 --> 00:47:28,233
{\an1}Many of the passengers
booked on the return flight
958
00:47:28,266 --> 00:47:32,466
were VIPs heading
to the social event of the year:
959
00:47:32,500 --> 00:47:36,166
the Coronation
of King George VI.
960
00:47:36,200 --> 00:47:37,933
{\an1}-There were dignitaries
and luminaries
961
00:47:37,966 --> 00:47:40,800
{\an1}who were expected to travel
on the
Hindenburg.
962
00:47:40,833 --> 00:47:43,566
{\an8}They were waiting
and relying on the fact
963
00:47:43,600 --> 00:47:46,966
{\an8}that this new means
of safe transportation
964
00:47:47,000 --> 00:47:50,500
{\an1}would get them back to Europe.
965
00:47:50,533 --> 00:47:52,300
-The coronation
of King George VI
966
00:47:52,333 --> 00:47:55,466
is an enormous event
on the world stage.
967
00:47:55,500 --> 00:47:56,909
{\an1}It's being covered, of course,
by the press
968
00:47:56,933 --> 00:47:58,933
{\an1}in an absolute frenzy,
not only because it's
969
00:47:58,966 --> 00:48:01,133
the coronation
of a new king in Britain,
970
00:48:01,166 --> 00:48:04,800
{\an1}but also because of the scandal
around the abdication
971
00:48:04,833 --> 00:48:06,666
of King George VI's
older brother,
972
00:48:06,700 --> 00:48:09,300
{\an1}and his marriage to the divorcée
Wallace Simpson,
973
00:48:09,333 --> 00:48:10,700
in the run up
to this coronation.
974
00:48:10,733 --> 00:48:13,400
{\an1}So there's more media attention
than ever before
975
00:48:13,433 --> 00:48:16,333
{\an1}in the British royal family
and in the coronation.
976
00:48:16,366 --> 00:48:18,366
-There must have been
enormous pressure
977
00:48:18,400 --> 00:48:22,333
after the flight
delays to land the aircraft
978
00:48:22,366 --> 00:48:25,666
{\an1}and to turn it around to get on
the way with the next flight,
979
00:48:25,700 --> 00:48:29,100
{\an1}which was highly publicized.
980
00:48:29,133 --> 00:48:32,900
{\an1}-The pressure was mounting...
A lengthy delay...
981
00:48:32,933 --> 00:48:34,700
no ground crew...
982
00:48:34,733 --> 00:48:38,866
{\an1}a vital return journey
in jeopardy.
983
00:48:38,900 --> 00:48:41,600
{\an1}Against standard airship
operational practice,
984
00:48:41,633 --> 00:48:43,766
{\an1}the decision was made to land
985
00:48:43,800 --> 00:48:47,533
{\an1}as the storm overhead grew
in intensity.
986
00:48:47,566 --> 00:48:49,266
It was the single
biggest mistake
987
00:48:49,300 --> 00:48:51,733
{\an1}leading up to the tragedy.
988
00:48:51,766 --> 00:48:54,166
{\an7}-If you're coming in to land
in an atmosphere
989
00:48:54,200 --> 00:48:56,233
{\an7}that is electrically charged,
990
00:48:56,266 --> 00:48:59,233
that represents
the potential for a spark
991
00:48:59,266 --> 00:49:02,900
{\an1}and that can be your ignition
source for a hydrogen explosion.
992
00:49:02,933 --> 00:49:10,933
{\an8}♪♪♪
993
00:49:11,233 --> 00:49:13,566
-To decrease
the airship's buoyancy,
994
00:49:13,600 --> 00:49:13,600
- the
- Hindenburg
995
00:49:13,600 --> 00:49:14,800
Crew
996
00:49:14,833 --> 00:49:18,633
{\an1}began releasing hydrogen
from the gasbags.
997
00:49:18,666 --> 00:49:22,300
{\an1}But above them, the gathering
storm clouds filled the air
998
00:49:22,333 --> 00:49:25,500
with a deadly
electrostatic charge.
999
00:49:25,533 --> 00:49:28,166
-The way in which
an airship lands
1000
00:49:28,200 --> 00:49:31,900
is it purposely vents
out hydrogen into the air.
1001
00:49:31,933 --> 00:49:35,100
{\an7}If you know that you're venting
out hydrogen, though,
1002
00:49:35,133 --> 00:49:39,000
{\an7}you cannot have any possibility
of lightning in the sky.
1003
00:49:39,033 --> 00:49:41,533
That's why weather
is so critical.
1004
00:49:41,566 --> 00:49:44,666
{\an1}-As the
Hindenburg
descended,
the crew realized
1005
00:49:44,700 --> 00:49:49,466
{\an1}the airship was no longer level,
the tail lower than the bow.
1006
00:49:49,500 --> 00:49:51,166
{\an1}-They felt kind of a jolt.
1007
00:49:51,200 --> 00:49:53,033
Something was off.
1008
00:49:53,066 --> 00:49:54,766
{\an1}The tail of the ship felt heavy,
1009
00:49:54,800 --> 00:49:58,366
{\an1}which means it felt like
it had lost some hydrogen.
1010
00:49:58,400 --> 00:50:01,033
It starts to sink.
1011
00:50:01,066 --> 00:50:03,866
{\an1}-Trying to get the airship
level, the crew released
1012
00:50:03,900 --> 00:50:06,866
{\an1}more than a ton of water
from the ballast tanks,
1013
00:50:06,900 --> 00:50:09,866
{\an1}drenching the ground below.
1014
00:50:09,900 --> 00:50:11,733
{\an1}The airship steadied...
1015
00:50:11,766 --> 00:50:15,266
{\an1}but it was no longer in position
to land.
1016
00:50:15,300 --> 00:50:18,100
{\an1}The captain then attempted
to steer the
Hindenburg
1017
00:50:18,133 --> 00:50:24,100
{\an1}back with a drastic maneuver:
a tight turn at full speed.
1018
00:50:24,133 --> 00:50:26,000
-He came in
and did that tight turn,
1019
00:50:26,033 --> 00:50:27,176
{\an1}which he shouldn't have done,
1020
00:50:27,200 --> 00:50:28,633
to get the ship
down on the ground
1021
00:50:28,666 --> 00:50:30,633
{\an1}and get the passengers
swapped over,
1022
00:50:30,666 --> 00:50:34,700
{\an1}to prove that they were
running on schedule.
1023
00:50:34,733 --> 00:50:38,266
-At the time,
experts believed the sharp turn
1024
00:50:38,300 --> 00:50:41,900
{\an1}started a deadly chain reaction.
1025
00:50:41,933 --> 00:50:43,900
Excessive flexing
of the
Hindenburg's
1026
00:50:43,933 --> 00:50:46,133
{\an1}internal aluminum frame
1027
00:50:46,166 --> 00:50:47,833
may have caused
the botched repair
1028
00:50:47,866 --> 00:50:52,300
{\an1}to the wires surrounding
the gasbags to come undone.
1029
00:50:52,333 --> 00:50:53,766
{\an1}-The Commerce Department,
1030
00:50:53,800 --> 00:50:56,866
which investigated
the case back in 1937,
1031
00:50:56,900 --> 00:51:01,033
{\an1}believed that a sharp turn
in the final landing maneuver
1032
00:51:01,066 --> 00:51:05,633
caused a bracing wire
inside the ship to break
1033
00:51:05,666 --> 00:51:09,500
{\an1}and tear into a gasbag.
1034
00:51:09,533 --> 00:51:12,833
{\an1}-But Michael McCarthy suspects
the gasbag wasn't ruptured
1035
00:51:12,866 --> 00:51:16,100
{\an1}as a result of the tight turn.
1036
00:51:16,133 --> 00:51:19,333
{\an1}He believes the gasbag
was already leaking,
1037
00:51:19,366 --> 00:51:22,700
{\an1}which would explain why the tail
of the ship lost buoyancy
1038
00:51:22,733 --> 00:51:25,700
and started to sink.
1039
00:51:25,733 --> 00:51:30,200
{\an1}-What's more likely is that
the gasbag had been damaged
1040
00:51:30,233 --> 00:51:31,800
in heavy headwinds,
1041
00:51:31,833 --> 00:51:34,833
{\an1}which delayed the ship
for so many hours
1042
00:51:34,866 --> 00:51:40,333
{\an1}and finally created a hydrogen
leak inside the top of the ship.
1043
00:51:40,366 --> 00:51:43,700
{\an1}-Even as the
Hindenburg
was
lined up with the landing mast,
1044
00:51:43,733 --> 00:51:47,166
{\an1}it may have already been
leaking hydrogen.
1045
00:51:47,200 --> 00:51:51,966
{\an1}Then, the captain made yet
another disastrous decision.
1046
00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:53,433
-There was a high
landing technique
1047
00:51:53,466 --> 00:51:55,166
{\an1}and a low landing technique.
1048
00:51:55,200 --> 00:51:58,533
{\an1}But the decision was taken
to do the high landing.
1049
00:51:58,566 --> 00:52:02,366
{\an1}That meant that the airship
had in its nose two ropes
1050
00:52:02,400 --> 00:52:05,900
{\an1}which dropped for the ground
crew to catch hold of.
1051
00:52:05,933 --> 00:52:10,266
-At 7:21 PM,
as the rain started to fall,
1052
00:52:10,300 --> 00:52:12,900
{\an1}the first landing rope
was lowered.
1053
00:52:12,933 --> 00:52:15,100
{\an1}The ground crew was able to
take control of
1054
00:52:15,133 --> 00:52:15,133
- {\an1}the
- Hindenburg
1055
00:52:15,133 --> 00:52:16,800
Sooner,
1056
00:52:16,833 --> 00:52:20,700
{\an1}while it was still more
than 200 feet overhead.
1057
00:52:20,733 --> 00:52:24,900
{\an1}But it might also have exposed
everyone to a new danger.
1058
00:52:24,933 --> 00:52:26,409
{\an1}-All airships, when they fly
through the air,
1059
00:52:26,433 --> 00:52:28,766
{\an1}they get a static charge
just from the air,
1060
00:52:28,800 --> 00:52:30,333
{\an1}and the ground crew know
1061
00:52:30,366 --> 00:52:32,666
that you don't grab
the rope straight away
1062
00:52:32,700 --> 00:52:35,566
because you can get
electric shock
1063
00:52:35,600 --> 00:52:39,466
{\an1}as the charge on the surface
of the ship travels down.
1064
00:52:39,500 --> 00:52:41,166
-As the
Hindenburg
came into land,
1065
00:52:41,200 --> 00:52:45,833
{\an1}these landing ropes were wet and
so able to conduct electricity.
1066
00:52:45,866 --> 00:52:49,833
{\an1}So you had the metal skeleton
of the
Hindenburg,
1067
00:52:49,866 --> 00:52:51,733
{\an1}which was then connected
to the earth
1068
00:52:51,766 --> 00:52:55,133
via an electrically
conductive rope.
1069
00:52:55,166 --> 00:52:57,633
{\an1}-Just four minutes after
the first landing ropes
1070
00:52:57,666 --> 00:53:02,566
{\an1}reached the rain-soaked ground,
tragedy struck.
1071
00:53:02,600 --> 00:53:04,410
The
1072
00:53:02,600 --> 00:53:06,266
burst into flames.
1073
00:53:04,434 --> 00:53:06,300
Hindenburg
1074
00:53:06,300 --> 00:53:09,833
{\an1}Even today, no one knows whether
lightning or a static spark
1075
00:53:09,866 --> 00:53:12,833
{\an1}caused the hydrogen to ignite.
1076
00:53:12,866 --> 00:53:16,100
62 passengers and
crewmembers miraculously
1077
00:53:16,133 --> 00:53:18,766
made it safely out
of the fireball.
1078
00:53:18,800 --> 00:53:21,400
{\an1}But 36 people were killed...
1079
00:53:21,433 --> 00:53:26,333
{\an1}some instantly, while others
died later from their injuries.
1080
00:53:26,366 --> 00:53:28,966
Ernst Lehmann,
the pilot on board who hoped
1081
00:53:29,000 --> 00:53:33,700
{\an1}to prevent a potential disaster,
died the day after the crash.
1082
00:53:33,733 --> 00:53:39,233
{\an1}-Of the people who died, most of
them were killed by gravity.
1083
00:53:39,266 --> 00:53:44,100
{\an1}Because they jumped out when the
airship was still up in the air.
1084
00:53:44,133 --> 00:53:46,994
{\an1}-The
1085
00:53:44,133 --> 00:53:49,900
horrible end
has shocked the entire world.
1086
00:53:47,018 --> 00:53:49,933
{\an1}Hindenburg's
1087
00:53:49,933 --> 00:53:53,166
{\an1}-The ensuing investigation
suggested pilot error
1088
00:53:53,200 --> 00:53:54,733
was to blame.
1089
00:53:54,766 --> 00:53:57,233
{\an1}But today, the newly found
maintenance report
1090
00:53:57,266 --> 00:54:00,666
{\an1}and letters suggest the
ill-fitting outer cover sealed
1091
00:54:00,700 --> 00:54:02,744
the
1092
00:54:00,700 --> 00:54:04,833
fate
long before its final flight.
1093
00:54:02,768 --> 00:54:04,866
Hindenburg's
1094
00:54:04,866 --> 00:54:07,933
{\an1}-The historical record
with Zeppelin suggests
1095
00:54:07,966 --> 00:54:12,500
{\an1}that had they been able to fix
the fluttering outer cover
1096
00:54:12,533 --> 00:54:14,733
so that the gasbags
were no longer damaged,
1097
00:54:14,766 --> 00:54:16,143
{\an1}the
1098
00:54:14,766 --> 00:54:17,566
disaster
would never of happened.
1099
00:54:16,167 --> 00:54:21,100
Hindenburg
1100
00:54:21,100 --> 00:54:25,733
{\an1}-No single error caused
the events of May 6, 1937,
1101
00:54:25,766 --> 00:54:27,466
{\an1}to happen as they did.
1102
00:54:29,433 --> 00:54:34,000
{\an1}Instead, a raft of fatal flaws
led to the destruction
1103
00:54:34,033 --> 00:54:36,433
{\an1}of the world's greatest airship.
1104
00:54:38,733 --> 00:54:43,400
{\an1}-The fact that the thing blew up
and was captured by the media
1105
00:54:43,433 --> 00:54:47,466
ended up searing it
into our imagination.
1106
00:54:47,500 --> 00:54:50,733
{\an1}-That image of an airship
crashing into the ground,
1107
00:54:50,766 --> 00:54:53,033
wreathed in flame,
has become iconic...
1108
00:54:53,066 --> 00:54:54,566
{\an1}has become an enduring image,
1109
00:54:54,600 --> 00:54:57,500
I think,
of the early 20th century.
1110
00:54:57,533 --> 00:55:02,100
{\an7}-To see that caught on camera,
it's quite a devastating moment
1111
00:55:02,133 --> 00:55:04,166
{\an7}that would shock anybody.
1112
00:55:04,200 --> 00:55:07,433
{\an7}There's kind of no coming back
from that.
1113
00:55:07,466 --> 00:55:09,933
{\an7}-It had never been seen
before...
1114
00:55:09,966 --> 00:55:11,833
{\an7}such a destructive fire,
1115
00:55:11,866 --> 00:55:17,766
{\an7}such a destruction of people,
passengers, and an aircraft.
1116
00:55:17,800 --> 00:55:19,633
{\an7}-When the
Hindenburg
burst
into flames
1117
00:55:19,666 --> 00:55:21,366
{\an7}and fell from the sky,
1118
00:55:21,400 --> 00:55:25,766
{\an7}this brought the death knell to
the golden age of the airship.
1119
00:55:25,800 --> 00:55:29,066
{\an8}♪♪♪