Hugo Eckener and the Graf Zeppelin: Pioneers of Global Flight
By Willie Bodenstein
20.09.2021
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On 1 August 1929, Dr. Hugo Eckener was aboard and in command of the Graf Zeppelin as it lifted off from Friedrichshafen, Germany, on its historic flight to circumnavigate the globe.
The Graf Zeppelin returned to Friedrichshafen on 4 September, having logged 21,000 miles in just 12 days, 12 hours, and 20 minutes of flying time.
The feat cemented Eckener's reputation as the most successful airship commander in history.
Hugo Eckener was born on 10 August 1868. Considered by his teachers at the University of Leipzig to be an indifferent student, he nevertheless earned a doctorate magna cum laude in 1892.
He began his career as a journalist and was soon assigned to cover the first flights of the much-discussed Zeppelins LZ 1 and LZ 2, built at Friedrichshafen. While he praised Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin's dedication, his report was critical of the limited performance of both airships.
Graf Zeppelin flies into Tokyo
Eckener was not alone, many scientists and engineers voiced skepticism about Zeppelin's plans. Count von Zeppelin, taking note of the criticism, invited Eckener to meet and discuss his concerns. Impressed by his insight, the Count offered the forty-year-old journalist a role as a part-time publicist for the Zeppelin Company.
Eckener accepted, soon becoming deeply involved in development of the giant airships that many believed would revolutionize warfare. By October 1908, he joined the company full-time.
Graf Zeppelin flies over Rio
The “indifferent student,” as he was once called, quickly demonstrated an aptitude for flight. In 1911 he qualified as an airship captain and went on to command many pioneering flights. In the interwar years he became both manager of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin and commander of the Graf Zeppelin, overseeing most of its record-setting journeys.
After World War I, the Treaty of Versailles prohibited Germany from constructing large airships suitable for transatlantic service, Eckener's ultimate ambition. Yet through skilled diplomacy he persuaded both the U.S. and German governments to allow the building of LZ 126, later delivered to the United States Navy as part of Germany's reparations. Renamed the USS Los Angeles (ZR-3), the airship was flown by Eckener himself across the Atlantic to Lakehurst, New Jersey, in 1924. The Los Angeles went on to become the longest-serving rigid airship in U.S. Navy history.
Graf Zeppelin and the USS Los Angeles in the airship hangar at NAS Lakehurst USA
During the 1930s, the Nazi regime nationalized the Zeppelin enterprise under the Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei GmbH (DZR). As a known anti-Nazi, Eckener was sidelined in favor of more compliant figures. He was even urged to stand as a moderate candidate in the German presidential elections, which led to his being blacklisted by the regime.
Hugo Eckener, the man who brought the dream of intercontinental airship flight to life and defied tyranny with quiet integrity, passed away on 14 August 1954.
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