Up Ship - The Airship History Podcast

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Up Ship - The Airship History Podcast

Welcome to Up Ship! The Airship History Podcast.

08/08/2025

Today in airship history: In 1929, the Graf Zeppelin lifted off from Lakehurst, New Jersey, on the first leg of its round-the-world flight. Twenty-one days later, Hugo Eckener and his crew returned as global heroes - welcomed by a New York ticker tape parade.

06/08/2025

Today in airship history: The German Army Zeppelin Z VI (LZ 21) carried out WWI’s first airship bombing raid, targeting Belgian forts in Liege and killing nine civilians. Damaged by ground fire and leaking gas, it crash-landed near Bonn and was dismantled on site.

This was the start of history’s first sustained strategic bombing campaign.

26/07/2025

Today in airship history: The mighty Graf Zeppelin left Leningrad and crossed the Arctic Circle en route to Franz Josef Land as part of a German–Soviet polar science mission.

Not the first airship to reach the Arctic but undoubtedly my favourite!

22/07/2025

On this day in airship history: French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau and Minister of War Georges Picquart took to the skies aboard the Lebaudy Brothers’ semi-rigid military airship Patrie in 1907.

Launched from Chalais‑Meudon, the flight was meant to showcase France’s aerial prowess. Partway through, a burst pipe doused Clemenceau in hot water — an experience that did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm.

The flight’s message was clear: France was taking airships seriously.

21/07/2025

Today in airship history: in 1919, Goodyear’s Wingfoot Air Express blimp caught fire over Chicago and crashed onto the glass roof of a bank, killing both passengers, a crew member and ten bank employees - the worst US airship crash up to that time.

The crash led to the closure of Grant Park Airstrip and the creation of Chicago Air Park, which grew into today’s mighty Midway International Airport.

19/07/2025

Today in airship history: The R80 took to the skies for the first time in 1920.

Designed by Barnes Wallis of bouncing bomb fame, the R80 was Britain’s first fully streamlined airship. It never entered full service, but showcased Wallis’s talent.

17/07/2025

Today in airship history: 17th July 1925 - the first Goodyear blimp ‘Pilgrim’ became the first ever airship to be inflated with safe helium rather than flammable helium. Its dinky little control car is on display in the Udvar-Hazy Center.

15/07/2025

Today in airship history: 15th July 1919 - RNAS airship NS11 exploded off Norfolk’s coast during a mine‑hunting patrol, killing all nine aboard. Lightning is suspected.

27/01/2025

New BONUS episode out now!!

I chat to Toby Page, MD of Skyship Services - operator of the world’s largest lighter-than-air fleet. Toby and I last met 25 years ago when I boarded one of his airships.

We touch on what it’s like to be out on the road on a blimp campaign - Marilyn Manson gets a mention - how the industry has changed over the years and how Skyship Services are helping train the airship pilots of the future.

Links below 👇🏻

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/up-ship-the-airship-history-podcast/id1728600562?i=1000685748976

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0DU5Gpx8by8safa3xgA1Wb?si=_Qq_0r9wTZuDNyJlsv3GDw

YouTube: https://youtu.be/6AdAExaG0dQ?si=tmTsX0zM2RdUWPht

20/01/2025

Episode 10 out now!!

As political tensions escalated across Europe, the major powers engaged in an aerial arms race to develop their airships into war-winning weapons.

Britain struggled to keep up with its continental rivals. Italy was the only country to deploy their airships in combat pre-WW1. France built an impressive fleet but were unsure about its use. Germany dominated the skies but suffered several high-profile, devastating crashes.

This is the story of how the airship prepared for war.

Links below 👇🏻

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/up-ship-the-airship-history-podcast/id1728600562?i=1000684664321

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/22FoTSfD2BF7MOtQxbmeSp?si=HfITJI1UTgG0HqKSbq4cOA

YouTube: https://youtu.be/BUlsqQSAojM?si=bvupBJ0Hrtt8c7fF

29/12/2024

Hope all listeners had a great Christmas! I had hoped to record and release episode ten - which will be the last of season one - before the end of the year, but sadly flu absolutely took me out! So we’ll be back in the New Year, looking at airships in the run up to WW1 and other lighter-than-air goodies.

18/12/2024

Never have I enjoyed learning from a mistake more than this evening! A few days ago I posted about seeing a ‘steampunk-style’ airship at Disneyland Paris. Someone pointed out that it wasn’t steampunk at all but rather the Hyperion, from the 1974 Disney movie ‘The Island at the Top of the World’.

I watched it tonight for the first time and can confirm it is a really fun film! The Hyperion looks beautiful and there are some excellent airship sequences. The overall story is pretty exciting and Donald Sinden is great as peppery adventurer Sir Anthony Ross, searching the Arctic by air looking for his missing son. Very much recommended!

A couple of weeks back I posted a bonus episode in which me and my husband recapped and reviewed the 1975 movie The Hindenburg. I’m thinking for season two we could do another bonus episode or two looking at airships at the movies, not in as much detail as with The Hindenburg but covering a number of different films.

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