Zeppelin LZ 121 Nordstern
LZ 121
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| History | |
|---|---|
  Germany
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| Name: | LZ 121 |
| Owner: | Weimar Republic |
| Operator: | DELAG |
| Builder: | Luftschiffbau Zeppelin |
| Laid down: | 1919 |
| Launched: | 1919 |
| Christened: | January 1920 |
| Completed: | January 1920 |
| Acquired: | 13 June 1921 |
| Commissioned: | 13 June 1921 |
| Maiden voyage: | 13 June 1921 |
| In service: | 13 June 1921 |
| Out of service: | August 1926 |
| Identification: | Nordstern |
| Nickname(s): | Méditerranée |
| Fate: | Scrapped in September 1926 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Type Y |
| Type: | Airship |
| Tonnage: | 16,000 kg |
| Tons burthen: | 11,500 kg of cargo |
| Length: | 130.8 metres (429 ft 2 in) |
| Beam: | 18.7 metres (61 ft 4 in)ø |
| Installed power: | Four Maybach Mb IVa, 245 hp 6-cylinder inline engines |
| Propulsion: | 3 Lorenzen propellors |
| Speed: | 130 km/h |
| Capacity: | 22,500 m³ Gas Volume in 13 gas cells |
| Crew: | 16 |
| Aviation facilities: | 4 gondolas |
| Notes: | 20 passengers |
The LZ 121 was a civilian airship from the Weimar Republic, a Y-Class zeppelin with a total length of 130.8 metres (429 ft 2 in). It received the nickname Nordstern while in German service, before it was given to France as part of the war reparations on 13 June 1921.
The LZ 121 was built by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin in Friedrichshafen, Germany after the First World War as a sister ship of LZ 120. It was built to transport passengers on regular flights from Friedrichshafen to Berlin and . The ship was completed as a Y-Class zeppelin in January 1920 and had a total length of 130.8 metres (429 ft 2 in). It had a diameter of 18.7 metres (61 ft 4 in) and a 22,500 m³ gas volume contained in 13 gas cells. The ship could reach a top speed of 130 km/h, with four Maybach Mb IVa, 245 hp 6-cylinder inline engines driving three propellers. The ship had accommodations for 16 crew members and 20 passengers in the four gondolas.
The LZ 120 and LZ 121 were not allowed to enter service as the Allies had forbidden Germany to make any more zeppelins at the end of 1919. The German government had hoped that it was only a temporary measure, so a conference was held address the issue. The conference was held in July 1920 in Spa and, by order of the Commission Chairman General E. A. Masterman which was written on 9 August 1920, commanded that the two airships be given to France and Italy as war reparations. After that, the two ships were confiscated under protest by the German government. LZ 121 was awarded to France, who in May 1921 had constructed an airship hangar for the zeppelin in Saint-Cyr-l'École at Versailles.
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