If you find yourself in a shallow water blackout then you’ll be unconscious when your body inhales water making it less painful than if you were conscious. Besides, the fires on the Hindenburg were practically a firestorm, you wouldn't last very long. Q: Is drowning painful A: It can be depending on how aware you are of what’s happening. I'd rather die in 30-something seconds of pure, confusing chaos than not only have to watch an elegant and luxurious lifestyle crumble into madness and despair for 2 hours and 40 goddamn minutes, but then suffer in freezing water until your false warmth lures you into unconsciousness.
Raw grief is being numb to everything but the pain. The worst part of the disaster was the silence when everyone in the water was dead. No sparkle, just gravity, pulling you down, stealing your breath. Survivors said that the second worst part of the sinking was hearing the screaming of the people in the water after the ship went down. Watching everyone you've met on the voyage, everything you brought with you, everything your life stood for to just be lost in the Atlantic until your hope dies, and eventually, you as well.
With drowning, you can feel every drop of water entering your lungs replacing the air that was once there. They froze to death, and while 20 minutes can seem like a short amount of time for over 1,500 people to freeze at once, imagine just being lost in the carnage, watching as people succumb to the cold around you and the awful realization sets in that you are numb, and your time is coming. Burning is not the most painful way to die because yes, it does hurt, but after your nerves have been burned through (which I doubt has happened to most of the ones who decided to answer this question) you can no longer feel any pain.