With amenities like piano lounges, dining rooms and private staterooms, they were a

ピアノランジにダイニングルーム 宿泊用の個室を備え

luxurious way to travel the world.

世界中を旅することができる

80 years ago, we had airships.

今から80年前 飛行船がそれを叶えた

Cruising 200 meters above the ground, they flew so smoothly, you could stand a pencil

地上200メートルを 非常に滑らかに飛行し

on its end without it falling over.

船内で鉛筆を立てることさえ 可能だった

And plans were being drawn up for even bigger, more luxurious airships. Until this happened.

そしてより大きく豪華な 飛行船が次々と計画された—

The whole world watched in horror as one burned to the ground in front rolling cameras.

ある事故が起こるまでは

And giant airships, well, they seemingly disappeared overnight.

炎に包まれ墜落する姿が記録され 恐怖は世界中に伝わり

First taking flight in 1936, the Hindenburg was, and still is, the largest object to ever fly.

飛行船は一晩にして信頼を失い その姿を消した

And it's scale is simply awe inspiring.

巨大飛行船に何が起きたのか？

Here's an average person compared to a typical bus.

1936年に初飛行を果たした ヒンデンブルク号は

Compared to a Boeing 747.

現在に至るまで 史上最大の航空機である

And now here's the Hindenburg.

スケール感が掴みづらいが

It dwarfs anything flying today.

一般的なバスと人間の 大きさを比べてみよう

And many people are surprised to learn just how extensive the Hindenburg's accommodations were.

ジャンボジェットはこう

Maybe it's because you can't really tell from the outside where the passenger spaces are.

これがヒンデンブルク号だ

But the inside of the Hindenburg was more like an ocean liner than an airplane.

現代のあらゆる航空機より大きい

Passengers could enjoy dinner in a full service dining room, then take in the views from one

そして多くの人々は 客室の広さを知り驚くだろう

of two promenades, or socialize in the piano lounge, or relax in the writing room.

外見からその位置を 判断することは難しいが

Downstairs, passengers could enjoy a cigar in the smoking room or have a drink at the

内部はまさに飛行機ではなく 客船と呼ぶに相応しかった

bar.

乗客たちはディナールームで フルコースの食事ができ

Heading back upstairs, passengers would retire for the night in own their private sleeping cabin.

2列に分かれた遊歩道には他に

All of this, while floating in the sky.

ピアノラウンジや書斎を備え 交流を図ることができた

The fastest ocean liners of the day could only cruise at around 35 miles per hour, but

階段を降りると 喫煙室やバーがあり

an airship like the Hindenburg, well, it could easily do twice that.

乗客たちを楽しませた

A transatlantic crossing that would have taken five days by ocean liner, could be done in

2階に戻ると乗客たちは 個室で眠りにつく

just two days on the Hindenburg.

全てを空の上で実現した

And an airship, well it wouldn't just take you to an ocean port, but to inland cities as well.

当時の客船は速くても 時速35マイル (56km/h) ほどだったが

The Hindenburg regularly flew over Europe on it's way to inland destinations.

飛行船はその倍の速度を発揮する

But on May 6, 1937, after completing a trans-Atlantic crossing, the Hindenburg

客船で大西洋を横断するには 5日を要したが

began to dock in New Jersey. And suddenly...

ヒンデンブルク号はわずか2日だった

Something ignited the Hindenburg's lifting gas. The Hindenburg was destroyed in a matter of seconds.

また港に囚われず 内陸の都市に行くことができ

This wasn't the first airship disaster, it wasn't even the most deadly.

欧州の内陸部を定期便で結んだ

But this one was different.

しかし1937年6月 大西洋横断を終えたヒンデンブルク号は

It was captured on film.

ニュージャージーでの寄港の最中 突然—

People weren't used to seeing things like this and it made the tragedy all the more horrifying.

船体のガスに火がつき 瞬く間に業火に包まれた

Many people consider the golden age of the airship travel to have

このような事故は 初めてではなかったが

ended here with the Hindenburg catastrophe.

ある点がそれまでと違っていた

Public confidence was shattered, and the romance and the extravagance of airships suddenly

映像に記録されていたのである

disappeared.

それは多くの人々に 飛行船事故の恐怖を広めた

But did the Hindenburg disaster really bring an end to the giant airship?

ヒンデンブルク号の悲劇が 飛行船の黄金時代に

Well, for something nearly the size of the Titanic, the Hindenburg

終わりを告げるだろうと 誰もが予感した

could only carry 72 passengers at most.

人々の信頼を失い 飛行船のロマンスと贅沢は

And it needed an additional 52 crew members to operate.

一夜のうちに消え去った

Compare that to an ocean liner of the day, which could comfortably carry almost 2000

だが果たして本当にこの事故が 終焉をもたらしたのか？

passengers, and had a crew and staff of over a thousand.

全長こそタイタニック号と 同じ規模だったが

Giant airships like the Hindenburg carried so few passengers despite their massive size,

乗客の定員は せいぜい72人程度だった

because lifting gasses, such as Helium just don't provide all that much lift.

さらに52名の乗員を必要とした

Even when the Hindenburg switched from helium to hydrogen, it could still only manage to

これを2000人の乗客と 1000人の乗員を運ぶ

lift about one hundred thousand pounds.

豪華客船と比較してみよう

Sounds like a lot, but that's only about the weight of eight elephants.

巨大な飛行船は ヘリウムなどのガスで浮かんでおり

So, everything on the Hindenburg had to be designed to be as lightweight as possible,

揚力が限られていたため 大きさの割に乗客を運べなかった

to make sure the whole thing could stay afloat.

より浮力の高い水素ガスへと 切り替えた後でも

Those passenger cabins?

10万ポンド (約45トン) しか 持ち上げることができなかった

Tiny and cramped, complete with bunk beds.

重そうに聞こえるが ゾウ8頭分に過ぎない

Not so luxurious.

船体を空中に保ち続けるため 内部のあらゆるものは

Even the walls and doors had to be made out of lightweight foam covered in fabric, so

軽量になるよう設計されていた

you could hear your neighbor talking, coughing, or worse.

客室はというと–

And none of the cabins had their own bathrooms.

窮屈な二段ベッドがあるだけだった

That 's too heavy.

ドアや壁も布でできた 軽量素材で作られており

So you'd have to go down a flight of stairs to use shared bathrooms.

隣人の会話や咳の音が よく聞こえた

And for 72 passengers, there was a one single shower.

またどの部屋にもトイレはなかった

Water, which weighs a lot, had to be rationed.

重かったからだ

So even that one shower wasn't much more than a trickle.

わざわざ階段を降りなければ トイレが使えず

The airship's grand piano had to be made out of special lightweight aluminum, but even

72名の乗客に対して

that was eventually removed to save weight.

トイレもシャワーも 1つしか用意されていなかった

And yeah, maybe these are compromises you have to accept for floating in the sky, but

シャワーの勢いも 水が滴る程度だ

the whole thing was absurdly expensive too.

グランドピアノは アルミで出来た特製だったが

In today's dollars a single one way trip aboard the Hindenburg cost almost $7000.

最終的には降ろされた

And sure, an ocean liner was half the speed, but a first class cabin on an ocean liner

空の旅を送るためには 我慢しなければならなかったが

came with a sprawling suite with a private bathroom.

その割には余りにも高額だった

Tickets on ocean liners were more affordable even as the accommodations were much more

現代のドルに換算して 片道で$7000を要した

luxurious, with giant ballrooms, theaters, and even indoor swimming pools.

確かに速度は 飛行船の半分だったが

And by 1937, if you really wanted to cross the ocean as fast as possible, aircraft were

客船のスイートは広大で 専用のバスルームがあった

just starting to make transatlantic crossings.

大きな浴室や映画館に屋内プールまで 備えていたにも関わらず

By the time the hindenburg went up in flames in 1937, the airship was already obsolete.

客船のチケットは飛行船と 比較して割安だった

It couldn't compete with comfort and luxury of an ocean liner.

1937年当時 大西洋横断に速さを求めるなら

It's speed couldn't match an aircraft.

飛行艇を選ぶことも可能だった

and all of it was absurdly expensive.

1937年の事故以前から 飛行船は落ち目であり

Today, the giant airship remains an irresistible concept.

客船の豪華さと快適さには 敵わなかった

But physics, just like it did 80 years ago,

速度も飛行機には及ばず

always manages to bring the giant airship idea back to earth.

全てが費用と釣り合わなかった