The Graf Zeppelin, completed in 1928, was one of the one of the most successful airships of all time. The Graf Zeppelin was an enormous airship measuring 800 feet long and 100 feet wide, or 243.8 meters by 30.5 meters. Its top speed was more than 70 miles per hour, or 112 kph. It could carry 50 passengers. It circumnavigated the world in 1929. Departing from Lakehurst, New Jersey, it returned in 21-1/3 days. After that, it was used for commercial airline service between Germany and South America until 1937.
The Graf Zeppelin over the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.
Photo: National Photo Company. Gift; Herbert A. French.
Library of Congress. Prints and Photographs Division. Washington, D.C.