The Empire State Building as Airship Docking Station

[jhefner]

Someone's recent Facebook posting on airships reminded me of the fact that the "spike" on top of the Empire State Building was originally built as a mooring mast for airships. Well, it's real purpose was to make the Empire State taller than the Chrysler Building, which was also under construction at the same time.

Anyway, the NY Times has a good article on the Empire State Building as Airship Docking Station at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/re...apes.html?_r=2

Enjoy.

-James

[beana51]

Nobody researched the cost of such a project, nor was marketing research performed to determine if people were interested in such services; most importantly, there were no feasibility studies. Therefore, the engineers encountered the major obstacle and ultimate dooming factor of the project only after the mast was built—wind. At such a high elevation, the wind can create a whirlpool effect and often blows as fast as 30 miles per hour. Three attempts to connect to the tower failed, primarily due to wind.
This photograph shows the Columbia attempting to dock to the building in 1931. It made two unsuccessful tries. The plan was quickly scrapped and soon after NBC began broadcasting from the tower"Even if they managed to dock in a dead calm,how would Passengers,and baggage be deplaned??....That Bldg is one yer older than I,,Grew up in NYC...The Observation decks were great for a CHEAP Date!.....It was easy then to go up to the Top.....and see the world!....................................At 9:49 a.m. on Saturday, July 28, 1945, a B-25 bomber crashed into the Empire State Building..when I was a 13 yr old...Got on the third Ave El..Could not get too near but till today Remember the Sight and Smell.


Now if ya go at a certain time,and conditions are right...What Ya Can Shake Hands With ..KING KONG!!.......Cheers James and THANX.....Vin

[SSI01]

The Penobscot Building in downtown Detroit has a mast at its top identical in shape to that on the Empire State Building, and for the same purpose. AFAIK it was never used for the same reasons enumerated in the article re: the Empire State. I do not know if an attempt was ever made by an airship to dock with the Penobscot. Dad mentioned seeing the Graf Zeppelin fly over Detroit at one time.

That B-25 crash happened during a pea soup fog, but from what I've read and heard the most uncanny thing about the crash is apparently (after reconstruction of the bomber's presumed flight path) how the aircraft came within a hair's breadth of hitting other buildings but never saw them in the fog. It was fortunate indeed the crash happened on a weekend, the building would have been packed otherwise and there would undoubtedly have been many more fatalities in the resultant panic after the impact.

[beana51]

Hi SS101,Yes was heavy fog,and at the 78-80th floors ..extremely heavy..As you know ,the EMPIRE towered over NYC then. There were no other building close to its height,save one...The Chrysler Bldg. He was disoriented by the fog, trying to go to KLAG, started to turned right,instead of left after passing the Chrysler Bldg. The Only two Bldg s then at their altitude,unfortunately they found one of them....Sad!....

[Lionheart]

Thanks James for posting this. Very cool trivia.

I had heard of this, but not the details. I know I wouldnt want to be on a gangway over the city getting into a small tower, unless it was fully enclosed and super safe and with elevators. Debarking a full Hindenberg would have taken a while with cargo. Also, I am sure, the new passengers would be boarding there? or would the ship return to NJ for cleanup, refueling, food and water, Hydrogen, then back to the ESB to pick up the passengers.

I think the ground was safer.

Perhaps breakthroughs in technology some day will allow it more easily were Zepp super airliners to come back.

[jhefner]

Nobody researched the cost of such a project, nor was marketing research performed to determine if people were interested in such services; most importantly, there were no feasibility studies. Therefore, the engineers encountered the major obstacle and ultimate dooming factor of the project only after the mast was built—wind. At such a high elevation, the wind can create a whirlpool effect and often blows as fast as 30 miles per hour. Three attempts to connect to the tower failed, primarily due to wind.
This photograph shows the Columbia attempting to dock to the building in 1931. It made two unsuccessful tries. The plan was quickly scrapped and soon after NBC began broadcasting from the tower"Even if they managed to dock in a dead calm,how would Passengers,and baggage be deplaned??....That Bldg is one yer older than I,,Grew up in NYC...The Observation decks were great for a CHEAP Date!.....It was easy then to go up to the Top.....and see the world!....................................At 9:49 a.m. on Saturday, July 28, 1945, a B-25 bomber crashed into the Empire State Building..when I was a 13 yr old...Got on the third Ave El..Could not get too near but till today Remember the Sight and Smell.


Now if ya go at a certain time,and conditions are right...What Ya Can Shake Hands With ..KING KONG!!.......Cheers James and THANX.....Vin

You are welcome, everyone.

Vin; I could be wrong, but I think either Columbia or a U.S. Navy blimp did finally manage to connect; but after a few minutes had to quickly disconnect when the wind tried to stand it on it's nose.

Lionheart, during the airship age, there were "high" mooring masts and "low" mooring masts. The Hindenburg was trying to moor to a "low" mooring mast when the infamous explosion occurred; the passengers could then embark/disembark from a pair of stairs behind the gondola.

When using a "high" mooring mast, passengers and crew embarked and disembarked from a gangway in the ship's nose. Here is a picture:



I think this partcular mast is mounted on the U.S.S. Patoka; a Navy ship built as a floating airship mooring mast so Navy airships could join the rest of the fleet at sea, and serve as long distance eyes for the fleet (before radar.)

SSI01; guess what I found searching for a good mooring mast picture:




more at http://blogs.providencejournal.com/r...is-future.html

-James