Graf Zeppelin over Las Palmas

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Category: Memory · Subcategory: Memory spaces · Year: 1930

During the late 1920s, one of the intercontinental air communication projects sponsored by Germany was to launch a zeppelin line connecting Europe with South America, which would inevitably pass over the skies of the Archipelago.

In 1928, there was a zeppelin, the Graf Zeppelin (Great Zeppelin LZ-127), capable of such a feat. It was the largest aircraft of its time, with a total length of 236.53 metres, a volume reaching 105,000 m³ and a capacity to carry around 60 people, including passengers and crew.

In May 1930, the Great Zeppelin began its journey from Friedrichshafen, Germany, to Seville and from there a triangular trip to Rio de Janeiro, Lakehurst (New York) and back to Seville; the trip would last almost three weeks. A commercial stopover of the zeppelin in the Canaries was not planned, but nevertheless, it was authorised to drop mail destined for the islands by parachute. Thus, on 21 May 1930 at 4:30 in the morning, in the dead of night, the zeppelin flew over the Archipelago.

Later, in June 1934, on the occasion of the first intercontinental passenger trip of the Graf Zeppelin to Buenos Aires, the journalist Domingo Navarro wrote to the Government delegate at the awarding company so that the zeppelin would fly over Las Palmas, which it did with a low-altitude flight, arousing admiration among the local population.

Numerous flights of the Graf Zeppelin crossed the skies of the Canaries throughout the early 1930s. On some of these, the enormous aircraft performed "ingenious manoeuvres" over Gando for the transfer of mail bags to land.

Although none of the zeppelin flights made a stop here, some incredible photographic records remain of its spectacular presence.

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