Scientists shed light on the last 'flying aircraft carrier' crash

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Like its sister ship the USS Akron (shown here flying over the city of San Francisco) the USS Macon was a familiar sight across the United States. Thousands of people would turn out to observe the flying aircraft carrier conducting training maneuvers ...
Like its sister ship, the USS Akron (shown here flying over the city of San Francisco), the USS Macon was a familiar sight across the United States. Thousands of people would turn out to observe the “flying aircraft carrier” conducting training maneuvers. The USS Macon was constructed with a built-in aircraft hangar and a trapeze launch and recovery system to facilitate fighter planes intended to protect the aircraft in war. Image credit: Wiley Collection, Monterey Maritime and History Museum

The 1935 crash of the Navy zeppelin USS Macon off the California coast marked an inglorious end to a unique experiment in aviation. Four times longer than a modern Goodyear blimp, the Macon could carry 100 crewmembers, including pilots specially trained to fly small reconnaissance airplanes stowed in the zeppelin's massive hull. The giant airship was one of only two ''flying aircraft carriers'' ever built, and both went down in the ocean without ever seeing combat.


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