Zeppelin/Dirigible

Ferdinand, Graf von Zeppelin 1838-1917 was a retired German army general who invented the rigid dirigible. Zeppelin was nearly 62 years old when he made the first directed flight on July 2, 1900. His 126 meter long (419 feet) zeppelin was kept aloft by 16 bags, or cells, full of hydrogen enclosed in a fabric-covered, cigar-shaped aluminum framework and powered by two 16 horsepower engines.

During World War I about 40 zeppelins were shot down while on air raids over London.

A zeppelin in flight.

Shenandoah, the first rigid airship built in the U.S., represented the Navy's inaugural effort with large, rigid-type airships. Essentially a copy of a WWI Zeppelin, Shenandoah represented a stepping stone to more modern ships. It was torn to pieces by a thunderstorm over southern Ohio on Sept. 3, 1925.

Although light in weight dirigibles were large.


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