POINT SUR STATE HISTORIC PARK

THE MACON Presented by: Doug Williams

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Welcome, this presentation is on the USS Macon, the only aircraft carrier that on its first day to touch water it sank.

1 Lighter Than Air Craft (LTA)

• Archimedes Principle: Airship (or Submarine) floats when the sum of the weights is the same as or less than the weight of the air (water) that the airship (submarine)displaces.

Relative weights lbs/1,000cuft; Air (81), Hydrogen (5, lifts 76), Helium (11, lifts 70),

• So from this we can see that Hydrogen does lift better than Helium. But as we found out from the crash of the Hindenburg, Hydrogen is an extremely flammable gas. Helium produces almost as much lift and is not flammable.

2 Lighter Than Air Craft (LTA)

LIFT Static: comes from the buoyancy of the gas. Dynamic: arises by the motion through the air like a plane. If an Airship is “Heavy”, put the nose- up. If it is “Light”, put the nose-down.

Static condition varies in flight, influenced by weather, fuel consumed – gal weight 6 lbs. Water recovery.

3 Lighter Than Air Craft (LTA)

Control: Extreme heaviness – Drop ballast. Lightness – Pick up seawater or vent gas. Normal Control of altitude is by adjusting the control surfaces, not by dropping ballast or valving helium. Control Surfaces: Elevators: “UP” – Air flows over the top depresses the tail thus lifting the nose. Elevators: “DOWN” – Raises the tail and lowers the nose enabling the motors to drive airship down. Rudders: Upper and Lower turn the tail from side to side.

4 RIGID-FRAMED DIRIGIBLES

German Airships

LZ – 127 Graf Zeppelin: First to circumnavigate the globe in 1929.

LZ – 129 Hindenburg: Crashed on 6 May 1937 at Lakehurst, N.J. 35 of the 97 passengers died.

LZ – 130 Largest ever built, it had a volume of 7.0M cu ft. 1938 dismantled in WWII

• The German dirigibles or (steerables) were considered weaponry after WWI. They were used to drop bombs on England. They were considered a war prize and the technology of building dirigibles was turned over to the allies. 5 Goodyear-Zeppelin Co.

ZR (Zeppelin Rigid) ZR - 1 Shenandoah (1923) Crashed in1925 in Ohio. 14 or the 43 aboard died. ZR – 2 Exploded on test flight in 1921 in England 44 died. ZR – 3 Los Angeles received as WWI reparation. First to recover a plane in flight. Retired in 1932. ZR – 4 Akron (1931) Crashed in 1933 off the coast of New Jersey. 3 of the 76 aboard survived. ZR – 5 Macon (1933) it was under construction when the Akron was lost. Crashed off Point Sur on 12 February 1935. 2 or the 83 aboard died.

• The German dirigibles or (steerables) were considered weaponry after WWI. They were used to drop bombs on England. They were considered a war prize and the technology of building dirigibles was turned over to the allies.

6 USS MACON

Weight: 120 tons, 785ft long, 133ft max. diameter, height from the ground 146ft. Air Volume: 7.4M cuft. Gas Volume: 6.85 cuft. Structure: Duralumin. Rigid Frame: 3 keels, 12 Frames, 12 Gas cells Engines: 8 Maybach, 12 Cylinders, 560 h.p. Gasoline. Max Speed: 75 knots. Cruising at 55 knots (knot = 1.15 miles/hour)

• Lt. Com. Wiley was the commanding Officer of the Macon. He made sure the Macon had life-boats and life- vest on board. He was one of three survivors from the crash of the Akron in the Atlantic.

7 USS MACON

Range: 4,760 Miles Fuel Tanks: 110 along keel, 30 to be cut loose in emergency. Ballast: Water bags + Fuel tanks + “Crew” – galloping kilos. Controls: 4 Stabilizing fins with rudders aft and elevators. Planes: 5 Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrow Hawk Bi-Planes 20’ long, 25’ wing span, max speed 176 mph.

• Lt. Com. Wiley was one of three survivors from the crash of the Akron in the Atlantic.

8 Construction of the Macon

• Look at those latters!

• Probably not up to OSHA standards today.

9 Structural Diagrams or Macon

10 Structural Diagrams or Macon

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12 Landing Crew Getting Ready

• A gentleman on a tour told us the he was with his dad one day, when HWY 101 was just two lanes. The Macon was coming in for a landing and his father stop the car, jumped out, jumped the fence and helped the sailors pull down the Macon by the ropes hanging from its side.

13 Landing Crew

• Sailors holding down the Macon.

14 Macon Parking in Hanger

• Macon being moved into its hanger by tracker at the other end of the hanger. It could be moved out either end depending on weather conditions..

15 Preservation Effort

• Google is helping with the expense of restoring the Macon’s hanger in exchange for the ability to park its private aircraft at the hanger.

16 Crash of the Macon

The Macon was returning to port in San Francisco along with the Pacific Fleet. They had been conducting exercises in San Diego. The Macon was hoping to make repairs to the top stabilizer when it reach its home at Moffat Field. The Top fin broke off and ripped a hole in the rear gas cell. This caused the ship to point upward.

• On the day of the crash, the children has asked to excused from the dinner table. They were the first to see it. What they saw was stuff falling out of the fog clouds and splashing into the water. The children made such a noise that the keepers went out to see what was happening. Something was wrong, the keepers sent the children inside. When the ship rose to 4850 feet the automatic relief valves popped open and release all of Helium. The Macon slid back into the ocean at an angle. It was still twice as tall as the rock.

17 Crash of the Macon

Macon Crashed at 5:04 p.m. Tuesday, 12 February 1935. Hit the ocean at 5:39 p.m. Sank at 6:20 p.m. Duration of 1 hour and 16 minutes 2 of the 83 crew died. Ernest Dailey, was a sailor who jumped from over 100 feet. and Florentino Edquia, was a cook in the galley in back of the ship. ast Survivor , Will Clarke, died c2000. The Crash was observed by Keepers, Tom Henderson (Head Keeper) and Harry Miller (1st Assistant Keeper).

• The Macon had both Life Boats and Life Vests. The Pacific Fleet was following them, and scooped up all of the survivors. In about an hour the sun set and all of the ships were gone. • It must have been strange being on the rock. There was no one to tell who had not also seek it. • Within another hour the Editor of the London Daily Times called Keeper and Henderson ask for details of the shipwreck. 18 Crash of the Macon

• Keeper Henderson wrote a report for the Lighthouse Service and was asked to testify at the Naval Inquiry.

• Commander Wiley was cleared of any wrong doing.

19 Court of Inquiry

• “Based on assumptions and conjecture, it can be calculated that a gust striking a vertical and a horizontal fin simultaneously, severe enough to throw persons in the control car off their feet, would be sufficient to cause a structural failure near a horizontal or vertical fin.”

• Commander Wiley testified: “As the swells hit the part in the water, the frames of the ship would crumble progressively forward and the ship would gradually sink, and the ship was dragged down by the part already under the water.”

• The Court Found: • "During the last half hour of the life of the Macon her stern was one of the most unsafe places in the world; for not only was it filled with deadly gas, but there was danger that the unsupported tail might break away from the rest of the hull and fall like a rock. Every man aboard knew that; and yet we see men whose duty did not require their going to the stern deliberately going aft to see if they could possibly do anything to save the ship. That, I submit, is the highest type of bravery—to cold-bloodedly walk into the place of greatest danger is true bravery. The fact that the ship foundered at sea with the loss of but two lives out of 83, speaks more eloquently of the discipline of that ship than mere words could

20 Finding the Macon Timeline

• 1980- David Canepa fishing off Pt. Sur finds Aluminum framework.

• 1990, June- The US 3-man submarine, Sea Cliff, found the Macon within 15 mins at 1,450 ft. thanks to David Canepa’s excellent records.

• 1991, Feb- MBARI’s Point Lobos & ROV Ventana videotaped the debris sites.

• 2005 & 2006 –MBARI’s Western Flyer and ROV Tiberon returned to the site. Joint expedition by MBARI & NOAA (Nat Marine Sanctuary Program).

• 2010 Declared Archeological Site, National Register of Historic Places

21 VC Macon Information

• VC has a lot of Macon Information • Panel shows the relative size of the Macon. • Two football fields • Three 747’s • It was twice as tall as the Rock itself.

22 VC Macon Information

• VC Macon Information

• This one shows how the planes were lower out of the Macon on the Flying Trapeze.

• The pilots were Daring Young Men.

23 VC Macon Information

• VC Macon Information • This panel shows the debris field

24 VC Macon Information

• This panel shows the last route of the Macon.

25 Finding the Macon

• An employee of the Monterey Bay Aquarium spotted the aluminum framework above the bar in Moss Landing. Asked the owner about it and was told that he trade some beers to a fisherman named Dave Canepa for it. • Dave refused to tell them where he got it. After several months of negotiating he finally told them where he found it. I was in one of best but last choice fishing spots. He gave them the exact Coordinates. I only took twenty minutes in the water for an un-manned sub to fine it. • The lady was Commander Wiley’s daughter. As a child, she played inside the Macon and recognized the framework. 26 Rare View of Macon & Pt. Sur

• This is a rare view of the Point Sur with the Macon in the background.

27 Dedicated Macon Fan

He used to take it for walks around the neighborhood.

THE END.

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