26/06/2026
90 years ago today, 26th June 1936, thousands on both sides of the River Mersey looked to the skies as the German Zeppelin Hindenburg flew over Merseyside on its return journey to Frankfurt from New York.
After passing over the Isle of Man at 8.40am, the airship appeared over Wirral just before 9.30. Travelling at around 40 miles per hour, she came over Meols and Hoylake to the astonishment of golf crowds attending the Open.
The Echo's sports correspondent, Bee, wrote "As she passed Meols the sun streaked upon her roof, and made her beautiful, glistening high light which gave the most perfect view one could wish. Unfortunately this was but a brief spell of light from the heavens, lasting no more than a minute."
Continuing past Seacombe to Liverpool, she hovered at a height of around 1,000 feet over the Pier Head, circling the Liver Building before flying over Toxteth, Childwall, Knotty Ash and Huyton towards Widnes and Warrington. Workers on the half completed tower of Liverpool Cathedral had an unparalleled view.
Mr Pinnington of Sylvester School in Huyton told the Echo how children were allowed out of their classrooms and waved excitedly at the airship. She was flying so low they could see the sw****ka.
In Warrington, she was only at a height of around 300 feet and some believed that there could even be a landing at Manchester's Barton aerodrome. Although the cabin windows could be seen, no passengers or crew were visible. Among the passengers was heavyweight boxer Max Schmeling, returning from his triumphant victory over Joe Louis in a title fight eliminator at Yankee Stadium.
The Hindenburg reached Frankfurt around 3pm that afternoon. She made 17 round-trip flights across the Atlantic that year, but was destroyed by fire whilst attempting to land in New Jersey in May 1937, with the loss of 35 lives of 97 on board and 1 additional fatality on the ground.