Last Survivor of 1937 Hindenburg Disaster Dies at Age 90
November 16, 2019 10:30 PM Subscribe
Last Survivor of 1937 Hindenburg Disaster Dies at Age 90, TIME, Kathy McCormack/AP, November 16, 2019 — "The last remaining survivor of the Hindenburg disaster, who suffered severe burns to his face, arms and legs before his mother managed to toss him and his brother from the burning airship, has died. Werner Gustav Doehner, the last among 62 passengers and crew who escaped the May 6, 1937, fire, was 90. The fire killed his father, sister and 34 others. He was just 8 years old at the time."
“He did not talk about it,” his son Bernie Doehner said, adding that his father took him years later to visit the naval station where the disaster happened but not the Hindenburg memorial itself. “It was definitely a repressed memory. He lost his sister, he lost his dad.” A church service was held Friday for Werner Doehner, who died on Nov. 8 at a hospital in Laconia, New Hampshire."
• More at Wikipedia about the LZ 129 Hindenburg; its airship era-ending explosion at Lakehurst, New Jersey; and fire hypotheses.
• Herbert Morrison's famous eyewitness report of the crash.
• Newsreel of the Hindenburg Disaster: Real Zeppelin Explosion Footage (1937), British Pathé.
[Previously on Metafilter]
“He did not talk about it,” his son Bernie Doehner said, adding that his father took him years later to visit the naval station where the disaster happened but not the Hindenburg memorial itself. “It was definitely a repressed memory. He lost his sister, he lost his dad.” A church service was held Friday for Werner Doehner, who died on Nov. 8 at a hospital in Laconia, New Hampshire."
• More at Wikipedia about the LZ 129 Hindenburg; its airship era-ending explosion at Lakehurst, New Jersey; and fire hypotheses.
• Herbert Morrison's famous eyewitness report of the crash.
• Newsreel of the Hindenburg Disaster: Real Zeppelin Explosion Footage (1937), British Pathé.
[Previously on Metafilter]
Every time I see the film of the crash, I'm again amazed that nearly two-thirds of the passengers and crew survived.
posted by tavella at 12:08 AM on November 17, 2019 [21 favorites]
posted by tavella at 12:08 AM on November 17, 2019 [21 favorites]
Previously in Hindenburg on Mefi.
I wanted to point you at my comment in that thread in which I describe a man recalling his childhood encounter with the ship.
posted by mwhybark at 7:07 AM on November 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
I wanted to point you at my comment in that thread in which I describe a man recalling his childhood encounter with the ship.
posted by mwhybark at 7:07 AM on November 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
My apologies for not linking to other previous ‘Hindenburg zeppelin’ MeFi posts and comments. Like the Titanic, it remains one of history’s epic (and frequently discussed) technology disasters.
posted by cenoxo at 7:55 AM on November 17, 2019
posted by cenoxo at 7:55 AM on November 17, 2019
(no oversight imputed nor apology needed! I just figured other LTA-interested folks might appreciate the linkovers.)
posted by mwhybark at 8:14 AM on November 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by mwhybark at 8:14 AM on November 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
🎈
posted by clavdivs at 12:23 PM on November 17, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by clavdivs at 12:23 PM on November 17, 2019 [6 favorites]
More about the LZ-129 Hindenburg (including a Hindenburg Disaster Passenger List) at Airships.Net.
posted by cenoxo at 12:34 PM on November 17, 2019
posted by cenoxo at 12:34 PM on November 17, 2019
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posted by mazola at 12:01 AM on November 17, 2019 [3 favorites]