LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin

LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin was the last of the German rigid airships built by Zeppelin Luftschiffbau between the world wars, the second and final ship of the Hindenburg class, and the second Zeppelin to carry the name Graf Zeppelin, so it is often called Graf Zeppelin II. It was virtually identical to the Hindenburg and was meant to replace the aging LZ 127 on the South American route. Because the United States refused to export helium to Germany it had to be inflated with hydrogen and never carried commercial passengers. Its four engine cars were redesigned after the Hindenburg disaster around DB-602 diesel engines driving tractor propellers, with a water recovery system for the exhaust. Its maiden voyage followed its christening on 14 September 1938, and it made 30 flights over 11 months, many of them propaganda flights. It was scrapped in April 1940 with LZ 127 and its duralumin framework went to aircraft for the Luftwaffe.