JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. –
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst leadership, members of the joint base community, and the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society, gathered to commemorate the 85th Anniversary of the Hindenburg airship disaster at Joint Base MDL, N.J., May, 6, 2022.
The Navy Lakehurst Historical Society held the ceremony in remembrance of the 36 passengers, air and ground crew members who lost their lives in the crash May 6, 1937.
“This is the 85th year of our ceremony and this is the second time we are holding it in Hangar 1,” said Carl Jablonski, Navy Lakehurst Historical Society president. “It flew to the United States from Frankfurt successfully 10 times in 1936. The first trip of 1937 was when the accident took place.”
The event featured speakers connected to the Hindenburg airship disaster, followed by a wreath bearing ceremony. Service members from each military branch laid a wreath to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice as well as those lives who were lost.
Among the speakers at the event were Margherita Thielke, a witness to the events of the disaster. Thielke attended the event with her brothers and father, a day that was supposed to be a family bonding experience turned into a traumatic day engrained in her memory.
“It was 7:15pm when we saw it coming in,” said Thielke. “There were around 200 men pulling the 800 foot ship to the pylon. Some of the people there to help land the ship were also from town, because there weren’t enough sailors. All of a sudden, I saw a terrific explosion by the right-side motor.”
Thielke, who was 11 years old at the time of the event, recalled what followed the explosion.
“We watched the navy trucks with the canvas tops take the wounded passengers and ground crew to the hospital,” said Thielke. “One man by the back opening of the truck was so badly burned that all his skin was hanging from his face. The edges were all black, I always wondered what happened to him.”
The ceremony concluded with a listing of the names of those who were lost in the Hindenburg airship disaster.