Zeppelin LZ 18

The Zeppelin LZ 18 – Navy designation L 2 was a German military rigid airship. It was the second Zeppelin airship to be bought by the Imperial German Navy. It was first flown on 9 September 1913. On 17 October 1913 during a test flight it was destroyed by an explosion caused by escaped hydrogen being sucked into an engine compartment with the loss of all aboard. Six weeks before this disaster was the accidents of Navy’s L 1 and this two disasters deprived Navy to the suspension of the planned expansion program.