At 785 feet long, the dirigible USS Macon was so big, it could hold as many as five fighter planes in its belly. The U.S. Navy airship crashed in 1935 during a violent storm off the coast of California, killing two members of its 83-man crew.
This week, researchers are exploring the Macon's remains more than 1,000 feet below the ocean surface using a remotely operated vehicle. Chris Grech, deputy director of marine operations for the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, discusses the expedition.
The Macon, built in Akron, Ohio, first flew in April 1933, only a few weeks after its sister ship, the USS Akron, crashed off the New Jersey coast, killing all but three of the 67 men on board. The Macon made several development and training flights across the country, as well as the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean.
The Macon, four times as long as today's Goodyear blimps, had a capacity of 6.5 million cubic feet of helium, and a top speed of 80 miles per hour.
It was large enough to launch and retrieve five small F9C-2 Sparrowhawk airplanes. A metal "skyhook" was attached to the top of each plane, which in turn was attached to a trapeze, allowing the aircraft to be lowered through a t-shaped opening in the floor of an internal hangar.
The Macon crashed off Point Sur, Calif., on Feb. 12, 1935, while returning to its base in Moffett Field in Sunnyvale. The accident effectively ended the Navy's dirigible program.
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