Airship USS Macon in flight.
High resolution (Credit: Moffett Field Historical Society)
Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the loss of the U.S. Navy airship USS Macon, N.O.A.A. today announced that the wreck location on the seafloor within Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Macon, a 785-foot dirigible was one of the biggest airships in the world - comparable in size to the RMS Titanic. It was intended to serve as a scout ship for the Pacific Fleet and had the ability to launch and recover Sparrowhawk biplanes. In service less than 2 years, the Macon, based at Moffett Field in Sunnyvale, Calif., was damaged in a storm on Feb. 12, 1935, and sank in the Pacific Ocean off Point Sur, south of San Francisco. All but 2 of the Macon's 83 crewmen were rescued by nearby Navy ships.
Curtis Sparrowhawk F9C-2 biplane.
High resolution (Wiley Collection,
Monterey Maritime and History Museum)
"The USS Macon and its 4 associated Sparrowhawk biplanes are not only historically significant to our nation's history, but have unique ties to our local communities, where public museums highlight the airship's history," said Paul Michel, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary superintendent. "The National Register listing highlights the importance of protecting the wreck location and its artifacts for further understanding our past."
The National Register of Historic Places is the nation's official list of cultural places considered worth preserving. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the Register is part of a national plan to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate and protect America's historic and archeological resources. Properties listed in the National Register can qualify for federal grants for historic preservation.
Port wing of one of 4 Curtiss Sparrowhawk F9C-2 biplanes recorded at the USS Macon site.
High resolution (Credit: NOAA)
The wreckage of the Macon and 4 aircraft lie at a depth of in excess of 1,500 feet and were 1st documented in 1990 by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary conducted a sonar survey in 2005 followed by the 1st archaeological expedition in 2006 that documented the Macon's remains. The expedition was a collaborative venture involving NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, NOAA's Preserve America Initiative, MBARI, Stanford University, University of New Hampshire, U.S. Navy, Monterey Maritime and History Museum, and the Moffett Field Historical Society and Museum.
The Macon wreck location includes the airship's hangar bay, containing its 4 Sparrowhawks and their detached landing gear. 5 of the Macon's 8 engines also have been identified along with objects from the ship's galley, including 2 sections of the aluminum stove and the enlisted men's dining table and bench. Aluminum chairs and desks that may have been in a port side officer's or meteorologist's office also have been found.
One of 8 German built Maybach twelve cylinder gasoline engines that served as the propulsion system for the airship.
High resolution (NOAA)
"Dirigibles were an important development in the history of aviation and the Macon's remains represent the only archaeologically-documented example of such aircraft in the U.S. and possibly the world," said Bruce Terrell, senior archaeologist, N.O.A.A. Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Maritime Heritage Program.
The Macon wreck is the 2nd location in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to be included on the National Register. The wreck of the California Gold Rush side-wheel steamship Tennessee was listed in 1981.
N.O.A.A. understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.
