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The wreckage is listed as the USS Macon Airship Remains on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Less than 20 ft (6.1 m) shorter than the Hindenburg, both Macon and her sister ship Akron were among the largest flying objects in the world in terms of length and volume.
- 21 April 1933
- 31 October 1929 (Commenced), 8 August 1931 (Launched)
- 23 June 1933 (Commissioned)
Eighty years ago, the U.S. Navy's last great airship crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared. The USS Macon's location was lost until researchers discovered its remains 1,500 feet below the surface of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in 1990. The first archaeological survey of the wreck site took place in 2006, and this year, on ...
Aug 19, 2015 · The sinking of USS Macon (ZRS-5), a lighter-than-air rigid airship, resulted in few deaths but its loss ended the Navy’s quest to use airships as long-range scouts for the fleet.
- 6 min
February 2016. 1 / 3. Remote vehicle operators on the Nautilus get a live view of the USS Macon wreck. A sudden wind shear hit the USS Macon. The rigid airship was returning from an...
- Heather Goss
One of a pair of airships (the other was the Akron), the Macon was built under a competed, fixed-price contract from the Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer). The Akron cost $5,375,000, the Macon $2,450,000. Both were assembled in the world’s largest hangar, erected for that purpose by Goodyear-Zeppelin at Akron’s municipal airport. It’s still standing.
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What happened to the USS Macon?
What happened to the Macon Airship?
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What happened to the USS Macon ZRS-5?
Crash of U.S.S. Macon. Macon crashed at sea off the coast of California during a storm on February 12, 1935, after her unrepaired upper fin suffered in-flight structural failure. The failure of the upper fin damaged the three aft gas cells and caused the loss of a significant quantity of helium, representing about 20% of the airship’s lift.
All but two of the 83 crew members survived. The final resting place of the Macon stayed hidden for more than 55 years, until researchers discovered its remains nearly 1,500 feet below the surface of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in 1990.