The Lakehurst Motel has a big, blue blimp on its neon sign. Right down the road is the Air Ship Tavern. And the Lakehurst Historical Society Museum, open for three hours on Wednesdays and Sundays, has a small exhibit of photos and artifacts. But there's little else in this sleepy town that hints at its place in history, for here is where the Hindenburg crashed and burned in 1937.
The Hindenburg, for those who don't know, was the largest zeppelin ever in America -- a hydrogen gas-filled, metal-framed airship. It had just crossed the Atlantic from Germany, on its maiden voyage of the year, when it exploded over Lakehurst. Thirty-six people died and so did the popularity of zeppelins as mass transit.
The Naval Air Center, just a hundred yards from the Air Ship Bar, is where it happened. The guard at the gate gives you a special Hindenburg pass that you set on your dashboard. About a mile down the main base road, past the gargantuan airship hanger on your left, you'll see a little sign lettered "Hindenburg" in German blackletter, shaped like a Zeppelin. This points to the site. Despite the implied popularity of the special pass, you may be the only visitor.
Where the Hindenburg crashed is now a vast, empty expanse of crumbled asphalt mixed with occasional scrubby weeds. It's typical military base junk land: flat, infertile, ugly. The original airfield was an expanse of sand, actually cushioning the fall of some who leapt from the burning zepplin.
The exact spot is marked by another little Zeppelin, atop a wind vane on a pole. If the wind is right, you can take photos of the little Zeppelin with the giant hanger as a backdrop. Next to the wind vane, a wreath of fading plastic flowers sits on a spindly wire frame. It's been here for months.
The original giant Hangar No. 1 still stands, voluminous enough to hold a zeppelin. Inside you can examine a replica control car, created for the 1975 movie "Hindenburg."
The Hindenburg is obviously a disaster that's run its course, a little blip in our memory CD that's slowly being error-corrected out of existence. We recommend that you visit before the government sells the property to CostCo.
Shutterbug alert: If you've been negligent in your preparations when you visit, too bad. The base commissary does not sell post cards, and will not sell you film.
Note: Artifacts are on loan by the Historical Society to museums for special exhibits. The town of Toms River,NJ, "has a very nice display of LTA material," according to a Society member. In other collections, the Hindenburg's Only Surviving Gauge is part of Jim Schmit's Fantastic Museum, last seen in Redmond, OR [but lately unaccounted for]. The original radio operator's chair and assorted Hindenburg silverware can be examined at the Frontiers of Flight Museum, Love Field, Dallas, TX. The Hindenburg's Only Surviving Strut is in a private collection in Ohio. You can see an assortment of Hindenburg artifacts online at the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society web site.
The Navy Lakehurst Historical Society hosts an annual memorial service on May 6th of each year at 7:25 pm. It commemorates those killed in the crash, and "all airship crashes throughout history." Call (732)244-8861 or e-mail info@nlhs.com to find out more.
August 2004: The Base is still closed, due to security restrictions, unless you can produce a government ID!
May 2002: This month the 65th Anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster is noted. Unfortunately, Naval Air Engineering Station tours have been canceled in a post-September 11 security move. The base is closed to the public until further notice.
