NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: Don Seltzer
Date: 2022 Jul 8, 11:03 -0400
A while back, David Pike wrote:
"Can anyone give me a definite identification of the officer in the photograph below using a Plath Coutinho sextant on board Graf Zeppelin. I’ve seen him described as Anton Wittemann, Captain of the Graf Zeppelin (as in second photo), and also as Max Pruss (as in Wikipedia) who subsequently became Captain of the Hindenburg. I rather think it’s Hans-Curt Flemming, another Graf Zeppelin officer. My reason for thinking so is the third photo which purports to show Flemming, Sammt, Pruss, and Wittemann together together from left to right, or may be it’s just that leather coat. "There were no replies on the identification at that time. I'm attaching another copu of the photo. Is the navigator Pruss or Wittemann or Flemming? I, too, have some doubts that it's Max Pruss, which is the usual identification. Any thoughts? Can anyone find photos of the three candidates in similar side view portraits?
Next, and I hope of general interest, where and when was this photo taken? Assuming the date usually listed, 28 August 1929, is correct, and that the photo was taken aboard the airship Graf Zeppelin, where could this photo have been taken? Some sources say that the photo was taken over the Pacific. Is that consistent? Clealy it's a Sun sight, and the Sun is low in the sky, maybe 10° or 20° in altitude. What is the approximate UT? What is the Declination of the Sun?
Frank Reed
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