1917 LZ 59 Khartoum Sudan

Zeppelin LZ 104,  designated L 59 (tactical number) by the German Imperial Navy and nicknamed Das Afrika-Schiff ("The Africa Ship"). It was a German dirigible during World War I. It was famed for attempting a long-distance resupply mission of the beleaguered garrison of Germany's East Africa colony.

On 4 November 1917 it was piloted by its civilian designer Hugo Eckener. After a 29 hour flight from Friedrichshafen, the airship arrived at Yambol (Jamboli) in Bulgaria.
It was the last available airbase before flying over two thousand miles across the Mediterranean and Entente-held Africa.

At Jamboli Kapitänleutnant [Lieutenant Commander] Ludwig Bockholt, a regular German naval officer, met the zeppelin. He would be commander and pilot for the mission, code named China-Sache, loosely translated as "China Show" or "China Matter.

L.59 carried 50 tons of supplies. The cargo included machine guns plus spares and ammunition, food, medical supplies, a medical team and Iron Cross medals.

L.59's two initial attempts at starting the journey were cancelled by weather in the Mediterranean, but on 21 November 1917 her third departure was successful.
The Airship made good time over Adrianople, the Sea of Marmara and the coast of Asia Minor.
It crossed over the African coast at 05.15 Hrs on 22 November near Mersa Matruh and via the Dakhla Oasis sat course up the Nile. That afternoon, an engine malfunctioned.

The next morning it nearly crashed when turbulence from the dunes below and subsequent cooling reduced the buoyancy of her gas.  The crew also suffered from headaches, hallucinations and general fatigue in the mid-day heat and freezing cold at night.

Despite the difficulties, L59 continued on over Sudan, only to be turned back on 23 November.
With the ship 125 miles (201 km) west of Khartoum it received an "abort" message.

The airship returned to the base in the morning of 25 November 1917, having traveled over 4,200 miles (6,800 km) in 95 hours, or nearly four days in the air. When it nosed into its hangar in Jamboli, the zeppelin had enough fuel remaining which could have kept it in the air for another 64 hours.

Many years would pass before that record was broken.
Despite its failure, "the adventure of L.59 was heroic both in scale and spirit."

Specifications & General characteristics
Length: 226.50 m (743 ft 0 in)
Diameter: 23.90 m (78 ft 0 in)
Volume: 68,500 m3 (2,420,000 ft3)
Useful lift: 23,500 kg (51,900 lb)
Powerplant: 5 × Maybach piston engines, 180 kW (240 hp) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 103 km/h (64 mph)


Source: Wikipedia