RESEARCH EXPEDITION REVEALS DETAILS OF SUBMERGED WRECK OF
HISTORIC NAVAL AIRSHIP USS MACON IN NOAA MONTEREY BAY SANCTUARY
Sept.
27, 2006 — Over the course of a five-day archeological investigation,
researchers from the NOAA
National Marine Sanctuary Program, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research
Institute, the University of New Hampshire and Stanford University have
documented two major debris fields associated with the submerged wreck
site of the rigid airship USS
Macon, a U.S. Navy dirigible lost off California's Big Sur coast
in 1935. (Click image for larger view of a port wing of one
of four Curtiss Sparrowhawk F9C-2 biplanes found at the USS Macon site.
Click
here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA / MBARI.”)
During
the September 17-22 research cruise aboard MBARI's Western Flyer, more
than 40 hours of deepwater surveys were completed utilizing MBARI's
remotely operated vehicle Tiburon. The surveys recorded the visual wreckage
USS Macon through high-definition videotape and still imagery that will
be used to create a photo-mosaic of the two debris fields.
Distinguishable
features included the airship's hangar bay containing four Sparrowhawk
biplanes and their detached landing gear. Five of the Macon's eight
German-built Maybach 12 cylinder gasoline engines also were identified.
Objects from the ship's galley were found, including two sections of
the aluminum stove, propane tanks that supplied fuel for it, and the
enlisted men's dining table and bench. A second debris field contained
the Macon's bow section including the mooring mast receptacle assembly.
This field also contains aluminum chairs and desks that may have been
in a port side officers' or meteorologist's office. (Click image
for larger view of the sky hook located at the center of the Curtiss
Sparrowhawk F9C-2 biplanes. During flight, the pilot would position
the aircraft below the USS Macon’s hanger where a trapeze was
lowered to hook the plane. Sparrowhawk pilots were nicknamed the “men
on the flying trapeze.” Click
here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA / MBARI.”)
"We are pleased to report that the first archeological survey conducted
in NOAA's Monterey Bay Sanctuary was successful with all of our mission
goals accomplished," said Robert Schwemmer, West Coast maritime
heritage coordinator for the NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program
and co-principal investigator for the expedition. "Most notably,
the advanced cameras and computer imaging provided by MBARI's expert
team allowed us to better survey and document the Macon's historic wreckage,
and over 10,000 individual Internet addresses from five continents signed
up to view our live streaming video." (Click image for
larger view of the Curtiss Sparrowhawk F9C-2 cockpit with telescopic
gun site located in the center of the fuselage right above the cockpit.
Click
here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA / MBARI.”)
The
USS Macon's two debris fields, designated by scientists as debris fields
A and B, measure 60 meters in diameter and are elevated several meters
above the seafloor. The fields are separated by a distance of 250 meters
and show an accumulation of several centimeters of sediment since initial
surveys conducted in 1990. Scientists also have concluded that sections
of the aluminum girder show signs of degradation after 71 years in the
marine environment.
(Click image for larger view of the inverted desk drawers with handles,
possibly from the officers’ or meteorologist’s office located
on board the port side of the USS Macon. Click
here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA / MBARI.”)
"We
are extremely happy with the underwater survey results, the performance
of the offshore equipment and operations team and the collaboration
with NOAA and the National Marine Sanctuary Program," said Chris
Grech, MBARI deputy director for marine operations and co-principal
investigator for the expedition. "Visiting the site again was like
visiting an old friend that you haven't seen in years."
The
expedition was designed to build upon information gathered by the U.S.
Navy and MBARI, who first recorded the aircraft's remains during expeditions
in 1990 and 1991. An initial survey involving NOAA, MBARI, U.S. Geological
Survey and Moss Landing Marine Laboratories was completed in May 2005
utilizing side-scan sonar deployed from the NOAA research vessel McArthur
II. (Click image for larger view of the USS Macon’s mooring
mast receptacle assembly, the most forward part of the airship and possibly
the last part of the ship to sink. Click
here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA / MBARI.”)
The expedition
was a collaborative venture involving the NOAA National Marine Sanctuary
Program, NOAA Office of Exploration,
NOAA Preserve America
Initiative, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Stanford
University, University of New Hampshire,
U.S.
Navy, state
of California, Monterey
Maritime and History Museum, and Moffett
Field Historical Society and Museum. Noah Doughty, an educator from
Mission College Preparatory High
School in San Luis Obispo, Calif., participated as a NOAA
"Teacher-at-Sea" and provided daily science and technology
Web-based logs.
The
mission of the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Research Institute is to achieve and maintain a position as a world
center for advanced research and education in ocean science and technology,
and to do so through the development of better instruments, systems,
and methods for scientific research in the deep waters of the ocean.
MBARI emphasizes the peer relationship between engineers and scientists
as a basic principle of its operation. All of the activities of MBARI
must be characterized by excellence, innovation,and vision. (Click
image for larger view of one of the USS Macon’s eight German-built
Maybach 12-cylinder gasoline engines that served as the propulsion system
for the airship. Click
here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA / MBARI.”)
The NOAA
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary stretches along 276 miles
of central California coast and encompasses more than 5,300 square miles
of ocean area. Renowned for its scenic beauty and remarkable productivity,
the sanctuary supports one of the world's most diverse marine ecosystems,
including 33 species of marine mammals, 94 species of seabirds, 345
species of fishes and thousands of marine invertebrates and plants.
The
NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program is committed to preserving historical,
cultural and archaeological resources and seeks to increase public awareness
of America's maritime heritage by conducting scientific research, monitoring,
exploration and educational programs. Today, the sanctuary program manages
13 national marine sanctuaries and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Marine National Monument that together encompass more than 150,000 square
miles of America's ocean and Great Lakes natural and cultural resources.
(Click NOAA image for larger view of the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Research Institute’s 117-foot water-plane area twin hull research
vessel Western Flyer that served as the platform for scientists during
the USS Macon expedition. Click
here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)
In 2007
NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce
Department, celebrates 200 years of science and service to the nation.
Starting with the establishment of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson much of America's scientific heritage is
rooted in NOAA. The agency is dedicated to enhancing economic security
and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and
climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation,
and by providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal and
marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System
of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA
is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the
European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as
integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.
Relevant Web Sites
USS Macon
Expedition 2006
NOAA
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
NOAA
National Marine Sanctuary Program
Media
Contact:
Rachel Saunders, NOAA
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, (831) 647-4237
(NOAA Western Flyer image courtesy of Robert Schwemmer, West Coast maritime
heritage coordinator for the NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program.)
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