Hindenberg

The famous German-built Hindenburg was 245 m (804 ft) long. After making ten transatlantic crossings in regular commercial service in 1936, it was destroyed by fire in 1937 when it was landing in Lakehurst, New Jersey; 35 people on board and 1 ground crew member were killed.  Since the destruction of the Hindenburg, airship activity has been confined to nonrigid craft.

Others

The first successful airship crossing of the Atlantic was made in 1919 by the British R-34. In 1921, however, a wave of airship disasters began. The R-34 was wrecked at its departure. The Roma, built in 1922 by Italy for the United States, exploded over Hampton Roads, Va. A French Zeppelin obtained from Germany, the Dixmude, was lost in the Mediterranean in 1923. In 1925 the United States Shenandoah was destroyed by violent winds. The United States Navy built two more airships after the Shenandoah disaster. These were the Akron, destroyed in 1933, and the Macon, which crashed in 1935.

Although other nations discontinued building Zeppelins, Germany continued to make them. In 1929 the Graf Zeppelin flew around the world in less than 21 days. When World War II began, the rigid dirigibles had vanished from the skies. During the war, however, nonrigid airships were built and used effectively.