Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Princess Henry christens dirigible

February 15, 1911


The dirigible airship Suchard was named today by Princess Henry of Prussia.  The naming celebration took place in Kiel.   German American journalist Joseph Brucker will try to cross the Atlantic in the Suchard in the spring, reports the New York Times.
Admiral Prince Henry of Prussia and other high officers at the Kiel's naval station took part in the ceremony.  Cheers rang out as Princess Henry "crashed a bottle of German champagne against the bow of the shapely balloon."   The Princess exclaimed: "I wish you a pleasant journey."
The band from Kaiser Wilhelm II's yacht, Hohenzollern, played the German national anthem and the "Star-Spangled Banner."
Prince Henry inspected the airship yesterday, and "expressed the liveliest hope for its success." The Suchard will make several trial trips over Kiel's harbor before "being shipped to the Cape Verde Islands in March."   Brucker said the trip across the Atlantic will begin in April. and he "hopes to land in Trindidad or Barbadoes."

No comments: