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| Science & Technology |
| Divers explore underwater 1935 wreck site of USS Macon dirigible |
| 2006-09-20 |
| Hat tip: Murdoc Online. Photos and other links--including live video feed from the exploration through 21.Sept--at link above. Edited for brevity. USS Macon (ZRS-5) was a rigid frame airship built and operated by the United States Navy for scouting. In service for less than two years, in 1935 Macon was damaged in a storm and lost off the coast of California. On February 12, 1935 when a repair process was still incomplete, Macon, returning to Sunnyvale from fleet maneuvers, ran into a storm off Point Sur, California. During the storm, she was caught in a sudden updraft which caused structural failure of her unstrengthened upper tail fin. Trailing cables punctured the rear gas cells and the resulting gas leakage prompted a discharge of ballast. Control was lost and, tail heavy and with engines running, the Macon rose past the pressure height and kept going until enough helium was vented to cancel the lift. It took her 20 minutes to descend from 4,850 ft and, settling gently to the sea, Macon sank off the California coast. Only two crewmembers from her complement of 76 died, thanks to the warm conditions and the introduction of life jackets and inflatable rafts. Today all that remains of the Macon and the four warplanes carried in its massive belly are ruins scattered on the seafloor- a historic site that is being intensively explored for the first time in a five-day expedition that started Sunday. |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #2 True story about the airdock: I was a USAF recruiter in Akron from 89-93. One of my jobs was handling USAF Academy applications, and my Liason officer for that was a Reserve LtCol who worked for Loral Aerospace, the successors for Goodyear-Zeppelin, which built Macon . He knew my interest in history and asked if I'd like to see the Airdock up close, and of course I jumped for it. First I toured the 1910 airdock which is almost hidden by the larger structure, and then we went into the Airdock itself. We went in through a side exit - the south doors are now blocked - and my guide asked me to specifically NOT speak of what I would see when I went through the door, saying that it was probably the most classified thing at Loral those days. I was utterly mystified until I went through and saw, of all things, the original full-size shuttlecraft prop from Star Trek - the lady who had bought it and was restoring it was from Akron, and that was the most secure place she could find in Akron to store and put it back together. A couple years later, I was there again for one of Richard Branson's around-the-world balloon flight attempts. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2006-09-20 21:26 |
| #1 The "airdock" she was built in is still standing on the south side of Akron. |
| Posted by: Mike 2006-09-20 15:34 |