navigational lights on zeppelins?

**snowmanX** · #1 06-24-2017, 12:23 AM

I am not sure what the most appropriate sub-forum for this question is, so I am putting it in the how to use forum.

Administrators: feel free to move this if there is a more appropriate location.

I have a fascination with airships and keep thinking that appropriate lighting could add to such a model.

Does anyone know if the Graf Zeppelin, or Hindenberg had port and starboard lights? If so, has anyone seen a reference supporting their appropriate placement? I have a tabletop book with a painting of the R101 that depicts it starting over the English Channel in stormy conditions with port and starboard lights, but I am not sure if that was artistic license or based on actual fact.

**southwestforests** · #2 06-19-2021, 01:33 PM

That's a good question. Just found it on forum here in 2021 after searching for zeppelin articles because just arrived today was a 1/200 Schreiber-Bogen 1/200 Graf Zeppelin a friend in UK mailed me for my birthday tomorrow.

**Draco** · #3 06-19-2021, 03:06 PM

Ok, being an airship it means that by law they needed to have them, it's logical but I mad a search and couldn't find where (remember that before internet all the documentation was stored in paper and usually without an index)
Anway, I found a passage of a book that confirms that the navigation lights indeed existed: The Hindenburg Accident: A Comparative Digest of the Investigations and ... - Robert Wilson Knight - Google Libros

**southwestforests** · #4 06-19-2021, 03:15 PM

Hey, thanks! That counts as step 1 in the process.

**airdave** · #5 06-19-2021, 03:19 PM

I did an image search for "Hindenburg at night"...I tried searching "zeppelin at night" and got a ton of Led Zeppelin concert photos! lol...

I think this is the movie model...

but theres obviously a light at the mooring mount on the real thing...

cool photos...and there seems to be lights on the motors and tail (as well as the spotlights underneath)...

**USSMissouri** · #6 06-19-2021, 08:00 PM

I saw a painting of R101 airship at night. Zeppelins do have navigational lights.

Airshipsonline : Airships : R.101

**southwestforests** · #7 06-19-2021, 08:22 PM

Nice. Have now bookmarked that Airship Heritage Trust website, thanks!

**maurice** · #8 06-20-2021, 01:34 AM

I'm pretty sure current practice for airships is single lamps, white at the bow and stern, green on top and red below unless the ship is stationary or being towed when it's two red below.
But I have no idea when that rule was established and it conflicts with that colour painting which shows a green light below and depicts a much earlier time.

**Kevin WS** · #9 06-20-2021, 04:13 AM

snowmanX - I have hunted through my references and can currently find nothing dated around the early period.

Here however is a slide from the RAF Cadet airmanship program on airship navigation lights.

It could be that the placement of lights back then used this scheme, especially as the drawings look dated! Note that there are no port or starboard lights.

Dave posted some nice pics there and in general, they have lights that seem to conform to these layouts, but it is difficult to really tell (because of "porthole" and other lights).

I have dropped a line to RAF Halton and RAF Cranwell and asked them the question on your behalf. Lets see what they say!

**cfuruti** · #10 06-20-2021, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin WS

It could be that the placement of lights back then used this scheme, especially as the drawings look dated! Note that there are no port or starboard lights.

"no" above is a typo, right?