Graf Zeppelin in an airship hangar, Germany. This airship was the most successful airship ever built and offered the first commercial transatlantic passenger flight service. It was named after Ferdinand von Zeppelin, a German general, count (Graf), and pioneer of airships. The airship was constructed from a lightweight metal structure covered by a fabric envelope. Measuring 237 metres long and 30 metres wide, it was the longest and largest airship in the world when it was built. It contained 12 hydrogen-filled buoyancy tanks, fuel tanks, operational spaces, crew quarters, passenger cabins, and a dining room. The airship made 590 flights, covering over 1.7 million kilometres from 1928 to 1937. It was operated by a crew of 36 and had a capacity for 24 passengers. It was withdrawn from service after the Hindenburg disaster in 1937.