USS Macon (ZRS-5)
| USS Macon (ZRS-5) | |
|---|---|
| USS Macon over New York City in 1933 | |
| General information | |
| Manufacturer | Goodyear–Zeppelin Corporation (Springfield Township, Ohio) |
| Owners | United States Navy |
| Serial | ZRS-5 |
| Aircraft carried | |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 31 October 1929 (commenced) 8 August 1931 (launched) |
| First flight | 21 April 1933 |
| In service | 23 June 1933 (commissioned) |
| Last flight | 12 February 1935 |
| Fate | Crashed off the coast of California, 12 February 1935 |
USS Macon (ZRS-5) was a rigid airship built and operated by the United States Navy for scouting and served as a "flying aircraft carrier", carrying up to five single-seat Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk parasite biplanes for scouting or two-seat Fleet N2Y-1s for training. In service for less than two years, the Macon was damaged in a storm and lost off California's Big Sur coast in February 1935, though most of the crew were saved. 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. Although the hydrogen-filled, Zeppelin-built Hindenburg and LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin II were both longer, the two American-built naval airships still hold the world record for largest helium-filled rigid airships.