Hindenburg Disaster with Radio Report As It Happened in 1937

[danielsan]

On May 6, 1937, the world witnessed one of the most devastating air disasters in history as the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg met a fiery end while attempting to land at Naval Air Station Lakehurst in New Jersey.

The Hindenburg, a massive 804-foot-long dirigible, had embarked on a transatlantic journey from Frankfurt, Germany, carrying 97 passengers and crew members. As it approached the airfield, disaster struck, and a sudden explosion engulfed the airship in flames, sending it crashing to the ground.

The horrific inferno claimed the lives of 36 individuals, including 13 passengers, 22 crew members, and one worker on the ground. Miraculously, 62 people survived the catastrophic event, some with severe injuries.

The cause of the explosion has been the subject of intense investigation and speculation over the years. Although it is widely believed to have been ignited by a hydrogen leak, the precise trigger remains a topic of debate among historians and experts.

The Hindenburg disaster marked a significant turning point in the history of air travel, leading to the decline of rigid airships and the rise of more modern aircraft. The tragic event remains etched in the collective memory, and it serves as a stark reminder of the dangers and uncertainties of early aviation.

[etown780]

Thanks that was amazing

[snk1200]

good job

[imi]

the reporter start to cry?

[gatagato]

Originally Posted by imi

the reporter start to cry?

Yes. Herbert Morrison


(transcript)
[It's practically standing still now. They've dropped ropes out of the nose of the ship, and they've been taken a hold of down on the field by a number of men.] It's starting to rain again; it's—the rain has slacked up a little bit. The back motors of the ship are just holding it just, just enough to keep it from — It burst into flames! It burst into flames, and it's falling, it's crashing! Watch it, watch it! Get out of the way! Get this, Charlie! Get this, Charlie! It's fire—and it's crashing! It's crashing terrible! Oh, my, get out of the way, please! It's burning and bursting into flames, and the—and it's falling on the mooring-mast and all the folks agree that this is terrible, this is one of the worst catastrophes in the world. [Indecipherable word(s)] It's–it's–it's the flames, [indecipherable, possibly the word "climbing"] oh, four- or five-hundred feet into the sky and it ... it's a terrific crash, ladies and gentlemen. It's smoke, and it's flames now ... and the frame is crashing to the ground, not quite to the mooring-mast. Oh, the humanity and all the passengers screaming around here. I told you, I can't even talk to people whose friends are on there. Ah! It's–it's–it's–it's ... o–ohhh! I–I can't talk, ladies and gentlemen. Honest, it's just laying there, a mass of smoking wreckage. Ah! And everybody can hardly breathe and talk, and the screaming. Lady, I–I'm sorry. Honest: I–I can hardly breathe. I–I'm going to step inside where I cannot see it. Charlie, that's terrible. Ah, ah—I can't. I, listen, folks, I–I'm gonna have to stop for a minute because I've lost my voice. This is the worst thing I've ever witnessed.

[murofhsirgo]

Oh the Humanity. Heart felt and in the moment no doubt. Did you see the people running out of that mother fucker right at the end?

[nexusmist]

He's wimp. Yeah?

[Patriotpride16t]

I heard he was fired for his broadcast.

[William May]

When you watch the film, you can see crewman dumping ballast from the water ballast tanks, those are the big showers of liquid that are falling down from various sections of the ship, in an attempt to keep the ship from hitting the ground. (Too late, but it was evidence that crewmen stayed at their posts right to the bitter end.)

Of the 97 passengers and crew on board that flight, 67 of them survived. This is amazing when you watch the video. A peculiarity of hydrogen fires is that the heat they give off goes straight up, rather than radiating sideways like in a jet or aircraft fuel fire. Thus people were surrounded by burning wreckage, and still managed to walk out of the fire, although there WERE many burned. (Even at that time, when propeller airliners crashed, almost always everyone on board was killed, either by the impact or the ensuing fire.) The Hindenburg actually was one of the more survivable accidents in aviation.

[houseoftechno]

Originally Posted by nexusmist

He's wimp. Yeah?

Cliff Notes Transcript of Herbert Morrison Radio Broadcast:
"[tenor radio voice] blah blah blah"
"[alto wimp voice] Mommy, I want my mommy now. I don't want to be a radio journalist anymore. I quit. Mommy. Wahhh."