On a sunny day in early July of 1919, a new airship rolls out of the construction hangers at the Zeppelin Company, named Der Fliegende Igel. This airship is one of the newer Trans-Atlantic ships, designed to carry over 60 people and some 30 tons of cargo over a range of more than 10,000 miles.
While several of it's sister ships were constructed to carry wealthy passengers in comfort, Der Fliegende Igel is designed as a research ship, sporting an array of advanced scientific equipment designed to support missions of exploration and intercontinental communications. The ship itself, features a number of design advancements that enhance it's stability and hull integrity. Extra fuel capacity, reinforced engine struts and auxiliary control mechanisms are a few of the additional features incorporated into this airship's design.
Der Fliegende Igel is under the command of an Oberst Steffen Crist. Herr Crist was one of Dr. Hugo Eckener's top engineers, designing a number of key features of the Trans-Atlantic airships. To keep the airships under "civilian control", the Zeppelin Company chose to promote selected staff into key command positions. This has the effect of keeping the airships "civilian", as dictated by post-war politics, as well as side-stepping a number of diplomatic hurtles, given the wartime usage of airships by the German military.
Herr Crist received a "reservist" commission of Oberst, just before the official launch of Der Fliegende Igel, granting him command and control of airship operations. The addition of other personnel with military experience rounds out the crew compliment, and provides the necessary experience needed to operate an airship. Crew members include a number of individuals with extensive military experience, as well as individuals who had served with the allies during WWI. Herr Crist's insistence on acquiring crew members based on ability, and not on past history, has earned him a unique reputation, as well as several enemies both within and outside of the Zeppelin Company.
As the number of airships continue to grow, so does the threat of "Airship Piracy". To help combat this menace, the crew of Der Fliegende Igel is augmented with a detachment of security service personnel. Not as heavily armed as a conventional marine detachment, these security service personnel perform a wide range of functions, as well as provide ship's security.