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155-494: The area of Honda Point is extremely treacherous for central California mariners, as it features a series of rocky outcroppings, collectively known as Woodbury Rocks (one of which is today named Destroyer Rock on navigational charts). Called the Devil's Jaw, the area has been a navigational hazard since the Spanish explorers first came in the 16th century. It is just north of the entrance to

310-502: A distress call ; when this was received, and nothing else was heard from the airship, many believed it was lost. After the ship arrived safely, there was some annoyance from the Lakehurst personnel that the Zeppelin had not answered repeated calls for its position and estimated arrival time. Eckener explained that because the airship was forced to fly at a reduced speed due to the damaged fin,

465-611: A "territory". Independent Mexico came into existence in 1821, yet did not send a governor to California until 1825, during the First Mexican Republic , when José María de Echeandía brought the spirit of republican government and mestizo liberation to the frontier. Echeandia began the moves to emancipate Indians from missions, and to also liberate the profit motive among soldiers who were granted ranches where they utilized Indian labor. Pressure grew to abolish missions, which prevented private soldiers from extending their control over

620-596: A captain's first responsibility is to his own ship, even when in formation. Eleven officers involved were brought before general courts-martial on the charges of negligence and culpable inefficiency to perform one's duty . This was the largest single group of officers ever court-martialed in the U.S. Navy's history. The court martial ruled that the events of the Honda Point Disaster were "directly attributable to bad errors and faulty navigation" by Captain Watson. Watson

775-528: A competitive threat to the Spanish American markets for cloth produced in Spain, and as a result, restricted the tonnage permitted on the ships from Manila to Acapulco. Mexico City merchants in retaliation overstuffed the ships, even using the space for water to carry additional contraband cargo. As a result, the ships coming from Manila had enough water for two months, but the trip took four to six months. (Hawaii

930-523: A cost of $ 1 million (equivalent to $ 22 million in 2018 ). Brazil charged the DZR $ 2000 ($ 44,000 ) per landing, and had agreed that German airships would land there 20 times per year, to pay off the cost. The hangar was constructed in Germany and the parts were transported and assembled on site. It was finished in late 1936, and was used four times by Graf Zeppelin and five by Hindenburg . It now houses units of

1085-458: A count ( Graf ) in the German nobility. It was conceived and operated by Hugo Eckener , the chairman of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin . Graf Zeppelin made 590 flights totalling almost 1.7 million kilometres (over 1 million miles). It was operated by a crew of 36, and could carry 24 passengers. It was the longest and largest airship in the world when it was built. It made the first circumnavigation of

1240-399: A deadly environment once the unusually strong swells and currents were added to the coastline. Once the error in navigation occurred, the weather conditions and ocean conditions sealed the fate of the squadron. The weather surrounding Honda Point at the time of the disaster was windy and foggy while the geography of the area created strong counter-currents and swells that forced the ships into

1395-604: A former German airship shed that had been removed from Jüterbog and rebuilt at Kasumigaura Naval Air Station , Graf Zeppelin continued across the Pacific to California. Eckener delayed crossing the coast at San Francisco's Golden Gate so as to come in near sunset for aesthetic effect. The ship landed at Mines Field in Los Angeles, completing the first ever nonstop flight across the Pacific Ocean. The takeoff from Los Angeles

1550-424: A gondola structure in the forward part of the airship's ventral surface, with the flight deck well forward in a "chin" position. The gondola was 30 metres (98 ft) long and 6 metres (20 ft) wide; its streamlined design reflected contemporary aesthetics, minimised overall height, and reduced drag . Behind the flight deck was the map room, with two large hatches to allow the command crew to communicate with

1705-688: A group of scientists and artists on a voyage of exploration ordered by Louis XVI and were welcomed in Monterey. They compiled an account of the Californian mission system , the land and the people. Traders, whalers and scientific missions followed in the next decades. In 1697, the Viceroy Duque de Linares along with the Conde de Miravalle (180) and the treasurer of Acapulco (Pedro Gil de la Sierpe) financed Jesuit expansion into California. The Duque de Linares lobbied

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1860-464: A loop antenna to determine the airship's bearing from any two land radio stations or ships with known positions. During the first transatlantic flight in 1928, the radio room sent 484 private telegrams and 160 press telegrams. The LZ 127 was christened Graf Zeppelin by Countess Brandenstein-Zeppelin on 8 July 1928, after her father Ferdinand von Zeppelin, the founder of the company, on the 90th anniversary of his birth. During most of its career, it

2015-479: A low-density "wild" agriculture in loose rotation. By burning underbrush and grass, the Native Americans revitalized patches of land whose regrowth provided fresh shoots to attract food animals. A form of fire-stick farming was used to clear areas of old growth, which in turn encouraged new growth, in a repeated cycle; a primitive permaculture . The high and rugged Sierra Nevada mountains located behind

2170-1064: A major source of trading beads, which were produced from mussel shells and made using stone tools. Tribes in California's broad Central Valley and the surrounding foothills developed early agriculture, while tribes living in the mountains of the north and east relied heavily on salmon and game hunting, and collected and shaped obsidian for themselves and trade. The harsh deserts of the southeast were home to tribes who learned to thrive by making careful use of local plants and by living in oases or along water courses. Local trade between indigenous populations enabled them to acquire seasonings such as salt, or foodstuffs and other goods that might be rare in certain locales, such as flint or obsidian for making spear and arrow points. The Native Americans had no domesticated animals except dogs, no pottery; their tools were made out of wood, leather, woven baskets and netting, stone, and antler. Some shelters were made of branches and mud; some dwellings were built by digging into

2325-545: A mission. The missionaries and military were often at cross purposes in their vision of what California could become, and the missionaries preferred to rely upon Indian allies to maintain control. Most missions became enormous in terms of land area (approximately the size of modern counties in California), and yet the Spanish and Mexican staff was small, with normally two Franciscans and six to eight soldiers in residence. The size of

2480-416: A one-kilowatt vacuum tube transmitter (about 140 W antenna power) to send telegrams over the low frequency (500–3,000 m) bands. A 70 W antenna power emergency transmitter carried telegraph and radio telephone signals over 300–1,300 m wavelength bands. The main aerial consisted of two lead -weighted 120-metre (390 ft)-long wires deployed by electric motor or hand crank; the emergency aerial

2635-555: A part of Mexico's strategy to halt Russian incursions into the region, as the Mission San Francisco de Solano (Sonoma Mission) was for the Spanish. By 1809, Spain no longer governed California because the Spanish king was imprisoned by the French. For the next decade and a half, the colony came to rely upon trade with Anglo-Americans and Spanish-Americans from Lima and San Blas for economic survival and political news. The victory in

2790-659: A population of about 1.4 million. The most commonly accepted model of migration to the New World is that people from Asia crossed the Bering land bridge to the Americas some 16,500 years ago. The remains of Arlington Springs Man on Santa Rosa Island are among the traces of a very early habitation, dated to the Wisconsin glaciation (the most recent ice age ) about 13,000 years ago. In all, some 30 tribes or culture groups lived in what

2945-443: A reliable winter food source. The staple foods then used by other indigenous American tribes, corn and/or potatoes, would not grow without irrigation in the typically short three- to five-month wet season and nine-to seven-month dry seasons of California (see Mediterranean climate ). Despite this, the natural abundance of California, and the environmental management techniques developed by California tribes over millennia, allowed for

3100-468: A result of unusual currents. As DesRon 11 began their exercise run down the California coast, they made their way through these swells and currents. While the squadron was traveling through these swells and currents, their estimations of speed and bearing used for dead reckoning were being affected. The navigators aboard the lead ship Delphy did not take into account the effects of the strong currents and large swells in their estimations. Consequently,

3255-595: A soul. You have only to fly in it to know that it's a living, vibrant, sensitive and magnificent thing. Graf Zeppelin was greeted by large crowds on most of its early voyages. There were 100,000 at Moscow and possibly 250,000 at Tokyo to see it. At Stockholm, spectators launched firework rockets around it, and on the return flight from Moscow it was punctured by rifle shots near the Soviet Union-Lithuania border. On one visit to Rio de Janeiro people released hundreds of small toy petrol-burning hot air balloons near

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3410-559: A stimulus for Spain to build presidios at San Francisco and Monterey in 1769. The British, too, stepped up their activities in the Pacific. British seafaring Captain James Cook , midway through his third and final voyage of exploration in 1778, sailed along the west coast of North America aboard HMS  Resolution , mapping the coast from California all the way to the Bering Strait . In 1786 Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse , led

3565-575: A total of 3,140 kilometres (1,950 mi; 1,700 nmi) in 34 hours and 30 minutes. On the fifth flight, Eckener caused a minor controversy by flying close to Huis Doorn in the Netherlands, which some interpreted as a gesture of support for the former Kaiser Wilhelm II who was living in exile there. In October 1928, Graf Zeppelin made its first intercontinental trip, to Lakehurst Naval Air Station , New Jersey, US, with Eckener in command and Lehmann as first officer. Rosendahl and Drummond-Hay flew

3720-403: Is a peninsula. The next year, an expedition under Hernando de Alarcón ascended the lower Colorado River to confirm Ulloa's finding. Alarcón may thus have become the first to reach Alta California . European maps published subsequently during the 16th century, including those by Gerardus Mercator and Abraham Ortelius , correctly depict Baja California as a peninsula, although some as late as

3875-458: Is credited with making the Alta California and Baja California border official possible. The Baja California Peninsula became the territory of Baja California (" Lower California "), also referred to at times as Vieja California (" Old California "). The northern part became Alta California , also alternatively called Nueva California (" New California "). Because

4030-577: Is estimated, by the time of extensive European contact in the 18th century, to have been perhaps 300,000. Before Europeans landed in North America, about one-third of all natives in what is now the United States were living in the area that is now California. California indigenous language diversity numbered 80 to 90 languages and dialects, some surviving to the present although endangered. Tribes adapted to California's many climates . Coastal tribes were

4185-477: Is now California, gathered into perhaps six different language family groups. These groups included the early-arriving Hokan family (winding up in the mountainous far north and the Colorado River basin in the south) and the later-arriving Uto-Aztecan of the desert southeast. This cultural diversity was among the densest in North America, and was likely the result of a series of migrations and invasions during

4340-616: Is on display outside the Veterans' Memorial Building, in Lompoc, California . The fourteen ships of Destroyer Squadron Eleven (DesRon 11) were steaming south in column from San Francisco Bay to San Diego Bay on September 8, 1923. All were Clemson -class destroyers, less than five years old. Captain Edward H. Watson , an 1895 graduate of the United States Naval Academy , commanded

4495-497: The Allies relaxed in 1925. Eckener saw an opportunity to start an intercontinental air passenger service, and began lobbying the government for funds and permission to build a new civil airship. Public subscription raised 2.5 million  ℛ︁ℳ︁ (the equivalent of US$ 600,000 at the time, or $ 11 million in 2018 dollars ), and the government granted over 1 million ℛ︁ℳ︁ ($ 4 million). The LZ 127

4650-633: The Arctic , Graf Zeppelin provided a commercial passenger and mail service between Germany and Brazil for five years. When the Nazi Party came to power, they used Graf Zeppelin as a propaganda tool. The airship was withdrawn from service after the Hindenburg disaster in 1937, and scrapped for military aircraft production in April 1940. The first successful flight of a rigid airship , Ferdinand von Zeppelin 's LZ1 ,

4805-564: The Century of Progress World's Fair in Chicago. It displayed swastika markings on the left side of the fins, as the Nazi Party had taken power in January . Eckener circled the fair clockwise so that the swastikas would not be seen by the spectators. The United States Post Office Department issued a special 50-cent airmail stamp (C-18) for the visit, which was the fifth and final one the ship made to

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4960-653: The Graf Zeppelin flew through a heavy hailstorm over the Saône , the envelope was damaged and the ship lost lift. Eckener ordered full power and flew the ship out of trouble, but it came within 200 feet of hitting the ground. The Europe-Pan American flight was largely funded by the sale of special stamps issued by Spain, Brazil, and the US for franking mail carried on the trip. The US issued stamps in three denominations : 65¢, $ 1.30, and $ 2.60, all on 19 April 1930. The second flight to

5115-478: The Great Basin Desert east of California, extensive forests and mountains in the north, the rugged and harsh Sonoran Desert and Mojave Desert in the south and the Pacific Ocean on the west effectively isolated California from easy trade or tribal interactions with indigenous populations on the rest of the continent, and delayed the tragedies and damages of colonial-settler arrival until the Spanish missions,

5270-510: The Manila Galleons had sailed along this coast for almost 200 years by then, without noticing the bay. The group returned to San Diego in 1770. De Portolá was the first governor of Las Californias . Junípero Serra was a Majorcan Franciscan who founded the first Alta California Spanish missions. After King Carlos III ordered the Jesuits expelled from New Spain on February 3, 1768, Serra

5425-618: The Mexican–American War (1846–1848), when it was ceded to the United States under the terms of the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo . The same year, the California gold rush began, triggering intensified U.S. westward expansion . California joined the Union as a free state via the Compromise of 1850 . By the end of the 19th century, California was still largely rural and agricultural , with

5580-671: The National Geographic Society , which he received on 27 March 1930 at the Washington Auditorium. Before returning to Germany, Eckener met President Herbert Hoover , and successfully lobbied the US Postmaster General for a special three-stamp issue (C-13, 14 & 15) for mail to be carried on the Europe-Pan American flight due to leave Germany in mid-May. Germany issued a commemorative coin celebrating

5735-498: The Rogue River in today's southern Oregon , was led by Bartolomé Ferrer . Cabrillo and his men found that there was essentially nothing for the Spanish to easily exploit in California, located at the extreme limits of exploration and trade from Spain. The expedition depicted the indigenous populations as living at a subsistence level, typically located in small rancherias of extended family groups of 100 to 150 people . In 1565,

5890-551: The Santa Barbara Channel , and finally to San Diego . Destroyer Squadron Eleven was on a twenty-four-hour exercise from northern California to southern California. The flagship was responsible for navigation . As the Delphy steamed along the coastline, poor visibility meant the navigators had to go by the age-old technique of dead reckoning. They had to estimate their position based on their speed and heading. LCdr Donald Hunter,

6045-412: The Santa Barbara Channel , which was the intended route of the destroyers involved in the disaster. Honda Point, also called Point Pedernales, is located on the seacoast at Vandenberg Space Force Base , near the city of Lompoc, California . There is a plaque and a memorial to the disaster at the site. The memorial includes a ship's bell from Chauncey . A propeller and a propeller shaft from Delphy

6200-620: The Sonoma Coast of Northern California , 60 miles (97 km) north of San Francisco on land claimed, but not occupied, by the British Empire . This colony was active until the Russians departed in 1839. In 1836 El Presidio de Sonoma, or " Sonoma Barracks ", was established by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo , the Comandante of the northern frontier of Alta California. It was established as

6355-474: The misión was one of the three major agencies employed by the Spanish crown in an attempt to consolidate its colonial territories. None of these missions were completely self-supporting, requiring continued (albeit modest) financial support. Starting with the onset of the Mexican War of Independence in 1810, this support largely disappeared, and the missions and their converts were left on their own. By 1827,

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6510-480: The successor state to the Viceroyalty of New Spain , Mexico automatically included the provinces of Alta California and Baja California as territories. With the establishment of a republican government in 1823, Alta California, like many northern territories, was not recognized as one of the constituent states of Mexico because of its small population. The 1824 Constitution of Mexico refers to Alta California as

6665-419: The 18th century do not. The account of Ulloa's voyage marks the first-recorded application of the name "California" . It can be traced to the fifth volume of a chivalric romance, Amadis de Gallia , arranged by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo and first printed around 1510, in which a character travels through an island called "California". Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo is believed to be the first European to explore

6820-492: The 600-mile-long (970 km) El Camino Real , Spanish for "the Royal Road", though often referred to today as the "King's Highway", and also known as the "California Mission Trail". Tradition has it that the padres sprinkled mustard seeds along the trail in order to mark it with bright yellow flowers. Later El Camino Viejo , another more direct route from Los Angeles to Mission San José and San Francisco Bay, developed along

6975-817: The Americas, English privateer and explorer Francis Drake sailed into Oregon , before exploring and claiming an undefined portion of the California coast in 1579, landing at Drake's Cove near Point Reyes . He had friendly relations with the Coast Miwok and claimed sovereignty of the area for England as Nova Albion , or New Albion. In 1602, the Spaniard Sebastián Vizcaíno explored California's coastline on behalf of New Spain He named San Diego Bay , and also put ashore in Monterey, California . He ventured inland south along

7130-472: The California coast. He was either of Portuguese or Spanish background, although his origins remain unclear. He was a soldier, crossbowman , and navigator who sailed for the Spanish Crown . Cabrillo led an expedition in two ships of his own design and construction from the west coast of what is now Mexico, setting out in late June 1542. He landed on September 28 at San Diego Bay , claiming what he thought

7285-527: The California missions and presidios lost their financing as the Spanish Empire collapsed from Buenos Aires to San Francisco, as a result of the imprisonment of King Fernando VII in 1808 by the French. In this context, Indians came under increased pressure to produce, and the missions exported the produce of Indian labor via Anglo-American and Mexican merchants. Whether the proceeds were distributed to Indians or to local military men came increasingly to depend on

7440-421: The California regions. It is widely believed in California that the labor supply for the missions was supplied by the forcible relocation of the Native Americans and keeping them in peonage . More recent scholarship suggests that the tiny number of Spaniards at each mission relied more upon negotiation, enticement and the threat of force to control the estimated 5,000 Indians typically surrounding what would become

7595-647: The Christian doctrine among the local Native Americans . Eighty percent of the financing of Spain's California program went not to missions but rather to the military garrisons established to keep the three great Pacific Ports of San Diego, Monterey and San Francisco under Spanish control; the Santa Barbara presidio on the Channel was constructed later. The missions introduced European livestock, fruits, vegetables, agricultural industry, along with invasive species of plants into

7750-742: The Coast of the Pacific Northwest , as well as Polynesian contact with the Chumash and the Tongva , such as the Central Polynesian groups in the 8th century, and the Native Hawaiians in the 14th century, who likely provided these tribes the shipbuilding knowledge to create Tomol canoes. The first European explorers, flying the flags of Spain and of England , sailed along the coast of California from

7905-531: The Gambia . On 24 November, during the second trip, the crew learned of an insurrection in Brazil, and there was some doubt whether it would be possible to return to Recife. Graf Zeppelin delivered its mail to Maceió , then loitered off the coast for three days until it was safe to land, after a flight of 118 hours and 40 minutes. Brazil built a hangar for airships at Bartolomeu de Gusmão Airport , near Rio de Janeiro, at

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8060-677: The Gold Rush, and the Euro-American invasion of indigenous Californians' territories. The few trade connections that were made outside of the Californias were between Yuman language speaking tribes and other Yuman groups along the Colorado and Gila Rivers in Arizona and south to modern-day Baja California and northwest Sonora , between Athabaskan language speaking groups and indigenous peoples along

8215-468: The Indian congregations would grow from a handful at the founding to perhaps two thousand by the end of the Spanish period (1810). All of these buildings were built largely by the native people, under Franciscan supervision. Again, there is controversy in the literature as to whether the labor was forced. Production on missions between 1769 and 1810 was distributed primarily among the Indian congregation. In 1810,

8370-717: The Jesuit missionary Juan María de Salvatierra established Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó , the first permanent mission on the Baja California Peninsula. Spanish control over the peninsula, including missions, was gradually extended, first in the region around Loreto , then to the south in the Cape region, and finally to the north across the northern boundary of present-day Baja California Sur . A total of 30 Spanish missions in Baja California were established. During

8525-461: The King. It returned to Friedrichshafen on 13 April. The polar flight ( Polarfahrt 1931 ) lasted from 24 to 31 July 1931. The ship rendezvoused with the Soviet icebreaker Malygin , which had Italian polar explorer Umberto Nobile aboard. It exchanged 120 kg (260 lb) of souvenir mail with the airship, which Eckener landed on the Arctic Ocean . Fifty thousand cards and letters, weighing 300 kg (660 lb), were carried. The costs of

8680-426: The Mexican War of Independence from Spain in 1821 marked the beginning of Mexican rule in California, in theory, though in practice the First Mexican Empire did during its reign. The Indian congregations at missions and the missionaries provided the critical source of products that underlay export revenues for the entire colony between 1810 and 1825. Converting new Indians faded, while ranching and trade increased. As

8835-526: The Mexican government passed the General Law of Expulsion , which exiled Spanish-born people, decimating the clergy in California. Some of the missions were then nationalized by the Mexican government and sold off. It was not until after statehood that the US Supreme Court restored some missions to the orders that owned them. In order to facilitate overland travel, the mission settlements were situated approximately 30 miles (48 km) apart, so that they were separated by one day's long ride on horseback along

8990-468: The Middle East took place in 1931, beginning on 9 April. Graf Zeppelin crossed the Mediterranean to Benghazi in Libya, then flew via Alexandria , to Cairo in Egypt, where it saluted King Fuad at the Qubbah Palace, then visited the Great Pyramid of Giza and hovered 70 feet above the top of the monument. After a brief stop, the ship flew to Palestine where it circled Jerusalem, then returned to Cairo to pick up Eckener, who had stayed for an audience with

9145-473: The Pacific Ocean, would arrive off the California coast 60 to over 120 days later, near Cape Mendocino , about 300 miles (480 km) north of San Francisco, at about 40 degrees N. latitude. They could then sail south down the California coast, utilizing the available winds and the south-flowing California Current , about 1 mi/hr (1.6 km/h). After sailing about 1,500 miles (2,400 km) south on they eventually reached their home port in Mexico. By 1700

9300-420: The Spanish Crown in 1711 to increase trade between Asia, Acapulco and Lima. It is possible that Baja California Sur was used as a stopping point for unloading contraband on the way back from Manila to Acapulco. The contraband might then have been shipped across the Gulf of California to enter mainland Mexico by way of Sonora, where the Jesuits also had missions and sympathies for their financial backers. In 1697,

9455-468: The Spanish developed a trading route where they took gold and silver from the Americas and traded it for goods and spices from China and other Asian areas. The Spanish set up their main base in Manila in the Philippines . The trade with Mexico involved an annual passage of galleons. The Eastbound galleons first went north to about 40 degrees latitude and then turned east to use the westerly trade winds and currents. These galleons, after crossing most of

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9610-427: The US. The airship's cotton envelope absorbed moisture from the air in humid tropical conditions. When the relative humidity reached 90%, the ship's weight rose by almost 1,800 kilograms (4,000 lb). Exposure to tropical downpours could greatly add to this, but when under way the ship had enough reserve power to generate dynamic lift to compensate. In April 1935 it made a rough forced landing at Recife after it

9765-425: The carriage of souvenir mail between Lakehurst, Friedrichshafen, Tokyo , and Los Angeles. A US franked letter flown on the whole trip from Lakehurst to Lakehurst required $ 3.55 (equivalent to $ 63 in 2023) in postage. Graf Zeppelin set off from Lakehurst on 8 August, heading eastwards. The ship refuelled at Friedrichshafen, then continued across Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union to Tokyo. After five days at

9920-540: The circumnavigation. On 26 April 1930, Graf Zeppelin flew low over the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in England, dipping in salute to King George V , then briefly moored alongside the larger R100 at Cardington . On 18 May, it left on a triangular flight between Spain, Brazil, and the US, carrying 38 passengers, many of them in crew accommodation. The ship arrived at Recife (Pernambuco) in Brazil, docking at Campo do Jiquiá on 22 May, where 300 soldiers helped land it. It then flew to Rio de Janeiro , where there

10075-414: The claim of the Spanish Empire to what is now California. By 1823, 21 Spanish missions had been established in Alta California. Operations were based out of the naval base at San Blas and included not only the establishment and supply of missions in California, but a series of exploration expeditions to the Pacific Northwest and Alaska . The first quarter of the 19th century showed the continuation of

10230-447: The coast and recorded a visit to what is likely Carmel Bay . His major contributions to the state's history were the glowing reports of the Monterey area as an anchorage and as land suitable for settlement and growing crops, as well as the detailed charts he made of the coastal waters (which were used for nearly 200 years). He recommended Monterey for settlement, to provide a safe arrival point for galleons from Manila. The King agreed, but

10385-573: The coast just south of San Francisco Bay, and in 1587 Unamuno explored Monterey Bay or Morro Bay , marking the first time in modern history when Asians ( Filipino crewmen) set foot on what would be the United States. In 1594 Soromenho explored and was shipwrecked in Drake's Bay just north of San Francisco Bay, then went south in a small boat past Half Moon Bay and Monterey Bay. They traded with Native Americans for food. After successfully sacking Spanish colonial settlements and plundering Spanish treasure ships along their Pacific coast colonies in

10540-479: The coast of Newfoundland . A stowaway boarded at Lakehurst and was discovered in the mail room mid-voyage. The airship returned home and on 6 November flew to Berlin Staaken , where it was met by the German president, Paul von Hindenburg . Graf Zeppelin visited Mandatory Palestine in late March 1929. At Rome it sent greetings to Benito Mussolini and King Victor Emmanuel III . It entered Palestine , flew over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem , and descended to near

10695-417: The commander of the Delphy , was also acting as the squadron's navigator, overriding his ship's navigator, Lieutenant (junior grade) Lawrence Blodgett. The Delphy did have radio direction finding (RDF) equipment, which picked up signals from a station at Point Arguello , but RDF was new and the bearings obtained were dismissed by Hunter as unreliable. Based solely on dead reckoning, Captain Watson ordered

10850-551: The company's construction hangar, with only 46 cm (18 in) between the top of the finished vessel and the hangar roof. It was the longest and most voluminous airship when built, but it was too slender for optimum aerodynamic efficiency, and there were worries that the shape would compromise its strength. Graf Zeppelin was powered by five Maybach VL II 12-cylinder 410 kW (550 hp) engines, each of 33.251 L (2,029.1 cu in) capacity, mounted in individual streamlined nacelles arranged so that each

11005-442: The compass – but of these I cannot, of course, speak with any first hand knowledge." On September 1, 1923, eight days before the disaster, the Great Kantō earthquake had occurred in Japan . Unusually large swells and strong currents arose off the coast of California and remained for a number of days. Before Destroyer Squadron Eleven even reached Honda Point, a number of ships had encountered navigational problems as

11160-606: The cost of the project to fly Graf Zeppelin around the world, with four staff on the flight; Lady Hay Drummond-Hay , Karl von Wiegand , Australian explorer Hubert Wilkins , and cameraman Robert Hartmann. Drummond-Hay became the first woman to circumnavigate the world by air. Hearst stipulated that the flight in August 1929 officially start and finish at Lakehurst. Round-the-world tickets were sold for almost $ 3000 (equivalent to $ 53,000 in 2023), but most participants had their costs paid for them. The flight's expenses were offset by

11315-470: The crew of the capsized Young were able to climb to safety on the nearby USS Chauncey via a lifeline. The five destroyers in Destroyer Squadron Eleven which avoided running aground at Honda Point were also able to contribute to rescue efforts by picking up sailors who had been thrown into the water and by assisting those who were stuck aboard the wreckage of other ships. After the disaster,

11470-518: The early 16th century to the mid-18th century, but no European settlements were established. The most important colonial power, Spain, focused attention on its imperial centers in Mexico and Peru . Confident of Spanish claims to all lands touching the Pacific Ocean (including California), Spain sent an exploring party sailing along the California coastline. The California seen by these ship-bound explorers

11625-457: The east. Flying time for the four Lakehurst to Lakehurst legs was 12 days, 12 hours, and 13 minutes; the entire circumnavigation (including stops) took 21 days, 5 hours, and 31 minutes to cover 33,234 km (20,651 mi; 17,945 nmi). It was the fastest circumnavigation of the globe at the time. Eckener became the tenth recipient and the third aviator to be awarded the Gold Medal of

11780-526: The eastern boundaries of Alta California Province were not defined, it included Nevada , Utah and parts of Arizona , New Mexico , western Colorado , southwestern Wyoming , and a northern strip of Baja California . The province bordered on the east with the Spanish settlements in Arizona and the province of Nuevo México , with the Sierra Nevada or Colorado River serving as the de facto border. Part of Spain's motivation to settle upper Las Californias

11935-470: The engines were started on petrol and could then switch fuel. A liquid-fuelled airship loses weight as it burns fuel, requiring the release of lifting gas, or the capture of water from exhaust gas or rainfall , to avoid the vessel climbing. Blau gas was only slightly heavier than air, so burning it had little effect on buoyancy. On a typical transatlantic journey, the Graf Zeppelin used Blau gas 90% of

12090-534: The entire squadron was off course and positioned near the treacherous coastline of Honda Point instead of the open ocean of the Santa Barbara Channel. Coupled with darkness and thick fog , the swells and currents attributed to the earthquake in Japan made accurate navigation by dead reckoning nearly impossible for the Delphy . The geography of Honda Point, which is completely exposed to wind and waves , created

12245-549: The expedition were met largely by the sale of special postage stamps issued by Germany and the Soviet Union to frank the mail carried on the flight. Writer Arthur Koestler was one of two journalists on board, along with a multinational team of scientists led by Soviet Professor Samoilowich, who measured the Earth's magnetic field , and a Soviet radio operator. The expedition photographed and mapped Franz Josef Land accurately for

12400-496: The first night of its second trip to the US, Graf Zeppelin lost four of its engines. With Eckener struggling for a suitable place to force-land, the French Air Ministry allowed him to land at Cuers-Pierrefeu , near Toulon . Barely able to control the ship, Eckener made an emergency landing. The incident, and the forced comradeship it engendered, softened France's attitude to Germany and its airships slightly. The incident

12555-568: The first time, and came within 910 kilometres (570 mi; 490 nmi) of the North Pole . It deployed three early radiosondes over the Arctic to collect meteorological data from the upper atmosphere. From the beginning, Luftschiffbau Zeppelin had plans to serve South America. There was a large community of Germans in Brazil , and existing sea connections were slow and uncomfortable. Graf Zeppelin could transport passengers over long distances in

12710-482: The first transatlantic flight, Graf Zeppelin carried 66,000 postcards and covers . Eckener had earned his doctorate in Psychology at Leipzig University under Wilhelm Wundt , and could use his knowledge of mass psychology to the benefit of the Graf Zeppelin . He identified safety as the most important factor in the ship's public acceptance, and was ruthless in pursuit of this. He took complete responsibility for

12865-564: The flammable craft. The airship captured the public imagination and was used extensively in advertising. On visits to England, it photographed Royal Air Force bases, the Blackburn aircraft factory in Yorkshire, and the Portsmouth naval dockyard ; it is likely that this was espionage at the behest of the German government. During 1928, there were six proving flights. On the fourth one, Blau gas

13020-596: The fleet to turn east into the Santa Barbara Channel. However, the Delphy was actually several miles northeast of where they thought they were, and the error caused the ships to run aground on Honda Point. The Kennedy intercepted radio bearings to the Delphy and to the Stoddert , and accurately determined the fleet's position. When the Kennedy reached the turning point, Commander Walter G. Roper, in charge of Division 32 ( Kennedy , Paul Hamilton , Stoddert , and Thompson ) at

13175-407: The galleons' route turned south farther offshore and reached the California coast south of Point Conception . Often they did not land, because of the rugged, foggy coast, and they could not risk the treasure they carried. Spain wanted a safe harbor for galleons en route from Manila to Acapulco. They did not find San Francisco Bay , perhaps because of fog hiding the entrance. In 1585 Gali charted

13330-471: The globe; the film footage is used in the documentary film Farewell (2009). The seven-officer Navy court-martial board , presided over by Vice Admiral Henry A. Wiley , commander battleship divisions of the Battle Fleet , ruled that the disaster was the fault of the fleet commander and the flagship's navigators. They assigned blame to the captain of each ship that ran aground, following the tradition that

13485-480: The government did not attempt to salvage any of the wrecks at Honda Point due to the nature of the damage each ship sustained. The wrecks themselves, along with the equipment that remained on them, were sold to a scrap merchant for a total of $ 1,035. The wrecked ships were still not moved by late August 1929 , since they may be clearly seen in film footage taken from the German airship Graf Zeppelin as she headed towards Los Angeles on her circumnavigation of

13640-503: The ground 2 to 3 feet (61 to 91 cm) and then constructing a brush shelter on top covered with animal skins, tules and/or mud. On the coast and somewhat inland traditional architecture consists of rectangular redwood or cedar plank semi-subterranean houses. Traditional clothing was minimal in the summer, with tanned deerhide and other animal leathers and furs and coarse woven articles of grass clothing used in winter. Feathers were sewn into prayer pieces worn for ceremonies. Basket weaving

13795-423: The highest population density in the Americas north of Mexico. The indigenous people practiced various forms of forest gardening in the forests, grasslands, mixed woodlands, and wetlands, ensuring that desired food and medicine plants continued to be available. The Native Americans controlled fire on a regional scale to create a low-intensity fire ecology which prevented larger, catastrophic fires and sustained

13950-452: The keel corridor led to the five engine nacelles, and there were ladders up to the axial corridor, just below the ship's main axis, which gave access to all the gas cells. The main generating plant was in a separate compartment mostly inside the hull. Two 8.9 kW (12 hp) Wanderer car engines adapted to burn Blau gas, only one of which operated at a time, drove two Siemens & Halske dynamos each. One dynamo on each engine powered

14105-708: The last quarter of the 18th century, the first Spanish settlements were established in what later became the Las Californias Province of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Reacting to interest by the Russians and, later, the British in the fur-bearing animals of the Pacific north coast, Spain further extended the series of Catholic missions, accompanied by troops and establishing ranches, along the southern and central coast of California. These missions were intended to demonstrate

14260-425: The many cooking fires of the native Chumash Indians along the shore. The expedition then continued north in an attempt to discover a supposed coastal route to the mainland of Asia . They sailed at least as far north as San Miguel Island and Cape Mendocino (north of San Francisco). Cabrillo died as the result of an accident during this voyage; the remainder of the expedition, which may have reached as far north as

14415-470: The missionary clergy were Spanish and aging, and gave in to the pressure to leave. LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin ( Deutsches Luftschiff Zeppelin 127 ) was a German passenger-carrying hydrogen -filled rigid airship that flew from 1928 to 1937. It offered the first commercial transatlantic passenger flight service. The ship was named after the German airship pioneer Ferdinand von Zeppelin ,

14570-686: The missions and other Spanish settlements in Upper California. A number of mission structures survive today or have been rebuilt, and many have congregations established since the beginning of the 20th century. The highway and missions became for many a romantic symbol of an idyllic and peaceful past. The Mission Revival style was an architectural movement that drew its inspiration from this idealized view of California's past. The Spanish encouraged settlement with large land grants called ranchos , where cattle and sheep were raised. The California missions were secularized following Mexican independence, with

14725-600: The missions who had learned to speak Spanish and ride horses. Some ranchos, such as Rancho El Escorpión and Rancho Little Temecula , were land grants directly to Native Americans. In 1773, a boundary between the Baja California missions (whose control had been passed to the Dominicans ) and the Franciscan missions of Alta California was set by Francisco Palóu . Due to the growth of the Hispanic population in Alta California by 1804,

14880-467: The most fertile land which was tilled by the Indian congregations. By 1829, the most powerful missionaries had been removed from the scene: Luis Martinez of San Luis Obispo, and Peyri of Mission San Luis Rey. The Mexican Congress had passed the General Law of Expulsion in 1827. This law declared all persons born in Spain to be "illegal immigrants" and ordered them to leave the new country of Mexico. Many of

15035-406: The navigators, who could take readings with a sextant through the two large windows. There was also a radio room and a galley with a double electric oven and hot plates. The galley staff served three hot meals a day in the main dining and sitting room, which was 5 metres (16 ft) square. It had four large arched windows, wooden inlays, and Art Deco -upholstered furniture. Between meals,

15190-635: The northern boundary of the Spanish claims at the 42nd parallel, effectively creating today's northern boundary between California and Oregon. Spain had maintained a number of missions and presidios in New Spain since 1519. The Crown laid claim to the north coastal provinces of California in 1542. Excluding Santa Fe in New Mexico, settlement of northern New Spain was slow for the next 155 years. Settlements in Loreto, Baja California Sur , were established in 1697, but it

15345-443: The nose to a mooring mast. Graf Zeppelin 's top airspeed was 128 km/h (36 m/s; 80 mph; 69 kn) at 1,980 kW (2,650 hp); it cruised at 117 km/h (33 m/s; 73 mph; 63 kn), at 1,600 kW (2,150 hp). It had a total lift capacity of 87,000 kg (192,000 lb) with a usable payload of 15,000 kg (33,000 lb) on a 10,000 km (6,200 mi; 5,400 nmi) flight. It

15500-405: The outward leg. Ludwig Dettmann and Theo Matejko made an artistic record of the flight. On the third day of the flight, a large section of the fabric covering of the port tail fin was damaged while passing through a mid-ocean squall line , and volunteer riggers (including Eckener's son, Knut) climbed outside the airship and made repairs to the torn fabric. Eckener directed Rosendahl to make

15655-456: The oven and hotplates, and one the lighting and gyrocompass . Cooling water from these engines heated radiators inside the passenger lounge. Two ram air turbines attached to the main gondola on swinging arms provided electrical power for the radio room, internal lighting, and the galley. Batteries could power essential services like radios for half an hour, and there were small petrol generators for emergency power. Three radio operators used

15810-524: The passengers could socialise and look at the scenery. On the round-the-world flight, there was dancing to a phonograph , fine wine, and Ernst Lehmann , one of the officers, played the accordion . A corridor led to ten passenger cabins capable of sleeping 24, a pair of washrooms, and dual chemical toilets . The passenger cabins were set by day with a sofa, which converted at night into two beds. The cabins were often cold, and on some sectors passengers wore furs and huddled under blankets to stay warm. There

15965-533: The passing of the Mexican secularization act of 1833 and the division of the extensive former mission lands into more ranchos. Cow hides (at roughly $ 1 each) and fat (known as tallow , used to make candles as well as soaps) were the primary exports of California until the mid-19th century. This California hide trade involved large quantities of hides shipped nationally and internationally. The ranch workers were primarily Native Americans, many of them former residents of

16120-399: The political skill and dedication of the individual missionaries. In 1825, independent Mexico finally send a governor to take control of California, but he arrived without adequate payroll for the military. In 1825, the use of uncompensated Indian labor at missions to finance Mexican presidios in California became normalized. In addition to the presidio (royal fort) and pueblo (town),

16275-458: The present-day site of Los Angeles on August 2, Santa Monica on August 3, Santa Barbara on August 19, San Simeon on September 13, and the mouth of the Salinas River on October 1. Although they were looking for Monterey Bay, the group failed to recognize it when they reached it. On October 31, de Portolá's explorers became the first Europeans known to view San Francisco Bay . Ironically,

16430-574: The previous 13,000 years, and perhaps even earlier. At the time of the first European contact, Native American tribes in California included the Chumash , Kumeyaay , Nisenan , Maidu , Miwok , Modoc , Mohave , Ohlone , Pomo , Serrano , Shasta , Tataviam , Tongva , Wintu , Yurok , and Yokuts . The relative strength of the tribes was dynamic, as the more successful expanded their territories and less successful tribes contracted. Slave-trading and war among tribes alternated with periods of relative peace. The total population of Native California

16585-685: The province of Las Californias, then a part of the Commandancy General of the Internal Provinces , was divided into two separate territorial administrations following Palóu's division between the Dominican and Franciscan missions, which was defined as the latitude of the large cross on a large rock immediately north of the Misión San Miguel Arcángel de la Frontera that was set up as Palóu's boundary marker. Governor Diego de Borica

16740-471: The rear of the column, ordered his ships to slow down and then to stop, and avoided running aground. At his court martial, LCdr Hunter, the commander of the Delphy and the navigator for the squadron, testified. "I think there is also a possibility that abnormal currents caused by the Japanese earthquake might have been another contributory cause, or magnetic disturbances connected with the solar eclipse affected

16895-428: The responsibility entirely on his shoulders. A Court of Inquiry led by Rear Admiral William V. Pratt and aided by Captains George C. Day and David F. Sellers recommended Cmdr. Roper for a Letter of Commendation for turning his division away from danger. The fourteen Clemson -class destroyers of Destroyer Squadron Eleven were to follow the flagship USS Delphy in column formation from San Francisco Bay , through

17050-460: The rocks once they entered the area. History of California to 1899 Human history in California began when indigenous Americans first arrived some 13,000 years ago. Coastal exploration by the Spanish began in the 16th century, with further European settlement along the coast and in the inland valleys following in the 18th century. California was part of New Spain until that kingdom dissolved in 1821, becoming part of Mexico until

17205-513: The same luxury as an ocean liner, and almost as quickly as contemporary airliners . Graf Zeppelin made three trips to Brazil in 1931 and nine in 1932. The route to Brazil meant flying down the Rhône valley in France, a cause of great sensitivity between the wars. The French government, concerned about espionage, restricted it to a 12 nmi (22 km; 14 mi)-wide corridor in 1934. Graf Zeppelin

17360-463: The settlement project was diverted to areas off Japan. Spanish ships plying the China trade probably stopped in California every year after 1680. Between 1680 and 1740, Spanish merchants out of Mexico City financed thriving trade between Manila, Acapulco and Callao. In Manila, they picked up cotton from India and silks from China. The Spanish Crown viewed too much imported Asian cloth to Mexico and Lima as

17515-405: The ship, from technical matters, to finance, to arranging where it would fly next on its years-long public relations campaign, in which he promoted "zeppelin fever". On one of the Brazil trips British Pathé News filmed on board. Eckener cultivated the press, and was gratified when the British journalist Lady Grace Drummond-Hay wrote, and millions read, that: The Graf Zeppelin is a ship with

17670-424: The sinks for use as additional ballast. Both fresh and waste water could be moved forward and aft to control trim. The airship usually took off vertically using static lift ( buoyancy ), then started the engines in the air, adding aerodynamic lift . Normal cruising altitude was 200 m (650 ft); it climbed if necessary to cross high ground or poor weather, and often descended in stormy weather. To measure

17825-479: The site of present-day San Diego on June 29, 1769, where it established the Presidio of San Diego and annexed the adjacent Kumeyaay village of Kosa'aay , making San Diego the first European settlement in the present state of California. Eager to press on to Monterey Bay, de Portolá and his group, consisting of Father Juan Crespí , 63 leather-jacket soldiers and a hundred mules, headed north on July 14. They reached

17980-508: The slow colonization of the southern and central California coast by Spanish missionaries, ranchers and troops. By 1820 Spanish influence was marked by the chain of missions reaching from Loreto, north to San Diego , to just north of today's San Francisco Bay Area, and extended inland approximately 25 to 50 miles (40 to 80 km) from the missions. Outside of this zone, perhaps 200,000 to 250,000 Native Americans were continuing to lead traditional lives. The Adams–Onís Treaty , signed in 1819, set

18135-553: The sought-after city. On May 3, 1535, Cortés claimed "Santa Cruz Island" (now known as the Baja California peninsula ) and laid out and founded the city that was to become La Paz later that spring. In July 1539, Cortés sent Francisco de Ulloa to sail the Gulf of California with three small vessels. He made it to the mouth of the Colorado River , then sailed around the peninsula as far as Cedros Island . This proved that Baja California

18290-469: The squadron to make a fast passage to San Diego, so the decision was made not to slow down. Despite the heavy fog, Commodore Watson ordered all ships to travel in close formation and, turning too soon, went aground. Six others followed and sank. Two ships whose captains disobeyed the close-formation order survived, although they also hit the rocks. Earlier the same day, the mail steamship SS  Cuba ran aground nearby. The lost ships were: Light damage

18445-534: The squadron. Assigned as commodore of DesRon 11 in July 1922, it was his first time as a unit commander. Watson flew his flag on USS  Delphy . The ships turned east to course 095, supposedly heading into the Santa Barbara Channel, at 21:00. The ships were navigating by dead reckoning , estimating positions from their course and speed, as measured by propeller revolutions per minute. At that time radio navigation aids were new and not completely trusted. USS Delphy

18600-487: The surface of the Dead Sea , 430 m (1,400 ft) below sea level. The ship delivered 16,000 letters in mail drops at Jaffa , Athens , Budapest and Vienna . The Egyptian government (under pressure from Britain) refused it permission to enter their airspace. The second Mediterranean cruise flew over France, Spain, Portugal and Tangier , then returned home via Cannes and Lyon on 23–25 April. On 16 May 1929, on

18755-444: The time, only burning petrol if the ship was too heavy, and used ten times less hydrogen per day than the smaller zeppelin L 59 did on its Khartoum flight in 1917. Graf Zeppelin typically carried 3,500 kg (7,700 lb) of ballast water and 650 kg (1,430 lb) of spare parts, including an extra propeller. Calcium chloride was added to the ballast water to prevent freezing. The ship retained grey water from

18910-722: The war, Britain and the United States built airships, and France and Italy experimented with confiscated German ones. In July 1919 the British R34 flew from East Fortune in Scotland to New York and back. Luftschiffbau Zeppelin delivered LZ 126 to the US Navy as a war reparation in October 1924. The company chairman Hugo Eckener commanded the delivery flight, and the ship was commissioned as USS  Los Angeles  (ZR-3) . The Treaty of Versailles placed limits on German aviation which

19065-461: The western edge of the San Joaquin Valley . Heavy freight movement over long distances was practical only via water, but soldiers, settlers and other travelers and merchandise on horses, mules, or carretas ( ox carts ), and herds of animals used these routes. Four presidios , strategically placed along the California coast and organized into separate military districts , served to protect

19220-424: The wind speed over the sea, and calculate drift, floating pyrotechnic flares were dropped. When preparing to land, the crew advised the ground either by radio or signal flag . Ground crew lit a smoky fire to help the airshipmen judge wind speed and direction. The airship slowed, then adjusted buoyancy to neutral by valving off hydrogen or dropping ballast. Echo sounding with the report from an 11-mm blank round

19375-439: The wind-driven generator could not generate enough power to send messages. The 9,926 km (6,168 mi; 5,360 nmi) crossing, the longest non-stop flight at the time, had taken 111 hours 44 minutes. Clara Adams became the first female paying passenger to fly transatlantic on the return flight. The ship endured an overnight gale that blew it backwards in the air and 320 km (200 mi; 170 nmi) off course, to

19530-487: The world by airship, and the first nonstop crossing of the Pacific Ocean by air; its range was enhanced by its use of Blau gas as a fuel. It was built using funds raised by public subscription and from the German government, and its operating costs were offset by the sale of special postage stamps to collectors , the support of the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst , and cargo and passenger receipts. After several long flights between 1928 and 1932, including one to

19685-664: Was acorns , which were dried, shelled, ground to flour, soaked in water to leach out their tannin , and cooked. The grinding holes worn into large rocks over centuries of use are still visible in many rocks today. The ground and leached acorn flour was usually cooked into a nutritious mush, eaten daily with other traditional foods. Acorn preparation was a very labor-intensive process nearly always done by women. There are estimates that some indigenous populations might have eaten as much as one ton of acorns in one year. Families tended productive oak and tanoak groves for generations. Acorns were gathered in large quantities, and could be stored for

19840-415: Was 236.6 m (776 ft) long and had a total gas volume of 105,000 m (3,700,000 cu ft), of which 75,000 m (2,600,000 cu ft) was hydrogen carried in 17 lifting gas cells ( Traggaszelle ), and 30,000 m (1,100,000 cu ft) was Blau gas in 12 fuel gas cells ( Kraftgaszelle ). The Graf Zeppelin was built to be the largest possible airship that could fit into

19995-405: Was a 40-metre (130 ft) wire stretched from a ring on the hull. Three six-tube receivers served the wavelengths from 120 to 1,200 m ( medium frequency ), 400 to 4,000 m (low frequency) and 3,000 to 25,000 m (overlapping low frequency and very low frequency ). The radio room also had a shortwave receiver for 10 to 280 m ( high frequency ). A radio direction finder used

20150-544: Was a high form of art and utility, as were canoe making and other carving. Some tribes around Santa Barbara, California , and the Channel Islands were using large plank canoes to fish and trade, while tribes in the California delta and San Francisco Bay Area were using tule canoes and some tribes on the Northwest coast carved redwood dugout canoes. A dietary staple for most indigenous populations in interior California

20305-545: Was a noticeable smell from the Blau gas, especially when the ship was stationary. A ladder from the map room led up to the keel corridor inside the hull, and accommodation for the 36 crewmen. Officers' quarters were towards the nose; behind them were the baggage store, the crew mess room, and the quarters for the ordinary crew, who slept in wire-frame beds with fabric screens. Also along this corridor were petrol, oil and water tanks, and stowage for cargo and spare parts. Branches from

20460-469: Was caught in a rainstorm at low speed on the approach to land and the added weight of several tons of water caused it to sink to the ground. The lower rudder was lost, the outer envelope was ripped in several places, and a petrol tank was punctured by a palm tree. In late 1935 Graf Zeppelin operated a temporary postal shuttle service between Recife and Bathurst , in the British African colony of

20615-464: Was caused by adjustments that had been made by the chief engineer to the four engines that failed. On 4 August, the airship made it to Lakehurst on the second attempt. Aboard was Susie, an eastern gorilla who had been captured near Lake Kivu in the Belgian Congo and sold by her German owner to an American dealer. American newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst 's media empire paid half

20770-670: Was designed by Ludwig Dürr as a "stretched" version of the zeppelin LZ 126 rechristened the USS Los Angeles ). It was intended from the beginning as a technology demonstrator for the more capable airships that would follow. It was built between 1926 and September 1928 at the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin works in Friedrichshafen , on Lake Constance , Germany, which became its home port for nearly all of its flights. Its duralumin frame

20925-401: Was difficult because of high temperatures and an inversion layer . To lighten the ship, six crew and some cargo were sent on to Lakehurst by aeroplane. The airship suffered minor damage from a tail strike and barely cleared electricity cables at the edge of the field. The Graf Zeppelin arrived back at Lakehurst from the west on the morning of 29 August, three weeks after it had departed to

21080-468: Was equipped with a radio navigation receiver, but her captain, Lieutenant Commander Donald T. Hunter, who was also acting as the squadron's navigator, ignored its indicated bearings, believing them to be erroneous. No effort was made to take soundings of water depths using a fathometer as this would require the ships to slow down to take the measurements. The ships were performing an exercise that simulated wartime conditions, and Captain Watson also wanted

21235-585: Was in Germany in 1900. Between 1910 and 1914, Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft ( DELAG ) transported thousands of passengers by airship. During World War I, Germany used airships to bomb London and other strategic targets . In 1917, the German LZ 104 (L 59) was the first airship to make an intercontinental flight, from Jambol in Bulgaria to Khartoum and back, a nonstop journey of 6,800 kilometres (4,200 mi; 3,700 nmi). During and just after

21390-439: Was in an undisturbed airflow. The engines were reversible, and were monitored by crew members who accessed them during flight via open ladders. The two-bladed wooden pusher propellers were 3.4 m (11 ft) in diameter, and were later upgraded to four-bladed units. On longer flights, the Graf Zeppelin often flew with one engine shut down to conserve fuel. Graf Zeppelin was the only rigid airship to burn Blau gas ;

21545-444: Was made of eighteen 28-sided structural polygons joined lengthwise with 16 km (10 miles) of girders and braced with steel wire. The outer cover was of thick cotton , painted with aircraft dope containing aluminium to reduce solar heating, then sandpapered smooth. The gas cells were also cotton, lined with goldbeater's skins , and protected from damage by a layer containing 27 km (17 miles) of ramie fibre. Graf Zeppelin

21700-502: Was named "Father Presidente". Serra founded San Diego de Alcalá in 1769. Later that year, Serra, Governor de Portolá and a small group of men moved north, up the Pacific Coast . They reached Monterey in 1770, where Serra founded the second Alta California mission, San Carlos Borromeo . The California missions comprise a series of religious outposts established by Spanish Catholic Dominicans , Jesuits , and Franciscans , to spread

21855-454: Was no post to tether to, so it was held down by the landing party for the two hours of the visit. During the flight north via Recife to Lakehurst, a storm damaged the rear engine nacelle, which was repaired in the hangar at Lakehurst. During ground handling of the airship there, it suddenly lifted, causing serious injury to one of the US Marines who was assisting. A few hours from home, when

22010-466: Was not until the threat of incursion by Russian fur traders and potentially settlers, coming down from Alaska in 1765, that Spain, under King Charles III , felt development of more northern installations was necessary. By then, the Spanish Empire was engaged in the political aftermath of the Seven Years' War , and colonial priorities in far away California afforded only a minimal effort. Alta California

22165-445: Was one of hilly grasslands and wooded canyons, with few apparent resources or natural ports to attract colonists. The other European nations, with their attentions focused elsewhere, paid little attention to California. It was not until the middle of the 18th century that both Russian and British explorers and fur traders began establishing trading stations on the coast. Around 1530, Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán (president of New Spain )

22320-603: Was operated by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin's commercial flight arm, DELAG , in conjunction with the Hamburg-American Line (HAPAG); for its final two years it flew for the Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei (DZR). Passengers paid premium fares to fly on the Graf Zeppelin (1,500  ℛ︁ℳ︁ from Germany to Rio de Janeiro in 1934, equal to $ 590 then, or $ 13,000 in 2018 dollars ), and fees collected for valuable freight and air mail also provided income. On

22475-433: Was recorded by: The remaining five ships avoided the rocks: Rescue attempts promptly followed the accident. Local ranchers, who were alerted by the commotion of the disaster, rigged up breeches buoys from the surrounding clifftops and lowered them down to the ships that had run aground . Fishermen nearby who had seen the tragedy picked up members of the crew from USS Fuller and USS Woodbury . The surviving members of

22630-526: Was slightly unstable in yaw , and to make it easier to fly, had an automatic pilot which stabilised it in that axis. Pitch was controlled manually by an elevatorman who tried to limit the angle to 5° up or down, so as not to upset the bottles of wine which accompanied the elaborate food served on board. Operating the elevators was so demanding and strenuous that an elevatorman's shift was only four hours, reduced to two in rough weather. The operational spaces, common areas, and passenger cabins were built into

22785-456: Was stripped of his seniority , and three other officers were admonished. Those officers who were court-martialed were all acquitted . Captain Watson, who had been defended by Admiral Thomas Tingey Craven , was commended by his peers and the government for assuming full responsibility for the disaster at Honda Point. He could have tried to blame a variety of factors for the disaster, but instead, he set an example for those others by accepting

22940-497: Was the Island of California for Spain. Cabrillo named each of Californias' channel islands, which lie offshore from Baja California to northern California, as he passed them and claimed them for Spain. Cabrillo and his crew continued north and came ashore October 8 at San Pedro bay, later to become the Port of Los Angeles , which he originally named the bay of smoke (bahia de los fumos) due to

23095-663: Was to be settled by Franciscan Friars, protected by troops in the California missions . Between 1774 and 1791, the Crown sent forth a number of expeditions to further explore and settle Alta California and the Pacific Northwest . In May 1768, the Spanish Inspector General ( Visitador ) José de Gálvez planned a four-prong expedition to settle Alta California, two by sea and two by land, which Gaspar de Portolá volunteered to command. The Portolá land expedition arrived at

23250-635: Was to forestall Russian colonization of the region. In the early 19th century, fur trappers with the Russian-American Company of Imperial Russia explored down the West Coast from trading settlements in Alaska , hunting for sea otter pelts as far south as San Diego. In August 1812, the Russian-American Company set up a fortified trading post at Fort Ross , near present-day Bodega Bay on

23405-588: Was told by an Indian slave of the Seven Cities of Cibola that had streets paved with gold and silver. About the same time Hernán Cortés was attracted by stories of a wonderful country far to the northwest, populated by Amazonish women and abounding with gold, pearls and gems. The Spaniards conjectured that these places may be one and the same. An expedition in 1533 discovered a bay, most likely that of La Paz , before experiencing difficulties and returning. Cortés accompanied expeditions in 1534 and 1535 without finding

23560-520: Was too small and slow for the stormy North Atlantic route, but because of the Blau gas fuel, could carry out the longer South Atlantic service. On 2 July 1932 it flew a 24-hour tour of Britain. While returning from Brazil in October 1933, Graf Zeppelin stopped at NAS Opa Locka in Miami, Florida, and then Akron, Ohio , where it moored at the Goodyear Zeppelin airdock . The airship then appeared at

23715-460: Was unknown to the Spanish navigators). The sea currents take ships sailing from Manila to Acapulco up north, so that they first touch land at San Francisco or Monterey, in what is now California. In the mid-18th century, tensions were brewing between Great Britain and Spain. In 1762, while the two nations were at war , Britain captured Manila in the Pacific and Havana in the Atlantic. This was probably

23870-517: Was used for the first time. Graf Zeppelin carried Oskar von Miller , head of the Deutsches Museum ; Charles E. Rosendahl , commander of USS Los Angeles ; and the British airshipmen Ralph Sleigh Booth and George Herbert Scott . It flew from Friedrichshafen to Ulm , via Cologne and across the Netherlands to Lowestoft in England, then home via Bremen , Hamburg , Berlin, Leipzig and Dresden ,

24025-409: Was used to measure altitude accurately. The ship flew in with its nose trimmed slightly down, made its final approach into the wind descending at 30 m (100 ft) per minute, then used reverse thrust to stop over the landing flag, where it dropped ropes to the ground. Landing in rough weather required a faster approach. Up to 300 people manhandled the airship into a hangar or secured it by

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