ZRS-5 was named to honor the city of Macon, Bibb County, central Georgia. The city is named for Gen. Nathaniel Macon, U.S. Senator from North Carolina, 13 December 1815 to 14 November 1828, during the Era of Good Feeling. Macon was the biggest city in the Georgia congressional district of Representative Carl Vinson, then chairman of the House Naval Affairs Committee and supporter of rigid airship development.

A Confederate sternwheel gunboat had previously borne the name.

(Map courtesy of HamsterMap.com.)

The future USS Macon (ZRS-5) under construction in the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation hangar at Akron, Ohio, circa 1932.

U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph, # NH 42021.

The future USS Macon (ZRS-5) under construction in the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation hangar at Akron, Ohio.

The skeleton of the future USS Macon (ZRS-5), in the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation hangar at Akron, Ohio.

This is Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation archives photo 743-A, dated 13 July 1932. (Thanks to Hendrick Stoops for the additional information.)

Lower fin interior construction.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo.

"America's Giant Airship Nearly Ready."

Flight magazine, 29 December 1932 issue.

The future USS Macon (ZRS-5) under construction in the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation hangar at Akron, Ohio, circa early 1933.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 42022).

Mrs. William A. Moffett christening USS Macon (ZRS-5) at Akron, Ohio, 11 March 1933. U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), # 80-G-461820.

USS Macon (ZRS-5) geared propeller while at Christening Ceremonies at Akron, Ohio, 11 March 1933. U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), # 80-G-461829.

USS Macon (ZRS-5), sleeping quarters on board the lighter-than-air aircraft. Photograph received in 1951.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo, # 80-G-463025.

Note: This photo is incorrectly identified as pertaining to USS Akron (ZRS-4). It is Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation archives photo 298-F, labeled as taken on 20 April 1933. "ZRS-4's bunks were very distinctive from ZRS-5's, with the latter ship's much-reduced design clearly being the result of weight-saving adjustments from the previous ship." Thanks to Hendrick Stoops for providing this information.

"Photograph of the Rear Control Car of a Dirigible, ca. 1933." USS Macon (ZRS-5).

"Investigating Dirigible Disasters. The Joint Committee to Investigate Dirigible Disasters was created [by House Concurrent Resolution 15, 73rd Congress,] to investigate the cause of the USS Akron disaster and the wrecks of other Army and Navy dirigibles and to determine responsibility. [This is one of the photographs that] were submitted to the Joint Committee during its investigation."

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), National Archives Identifier 6708577.

Note: This photo is incorrectly identified as pertaining to Akron (ZRS-4). It is Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation archives photo 298-C, labeled as taken on 20 April 1933. Thanks to Hendrick Stoops for providing this information.

USS Macon (ZRS-5) on first flight, Akron, Ohio, 21 April 1933. U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), # 80-G-461833.

USS Macon (ZRS-5) on first flight, Akron, Ohio, 21 April 1933. U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), # 80-G-461834.

NS02990524: "Happy Return."

NS02990524a: "Back in the Hangar."

Macon made four test flights between 21 April and 14 June 1933, totalling 82 hours. The last of them was a 48-hour endurance flight into northern Illinois, eastern Wisconsin, and across lower Michigan.

"Mrs. Moffett Keeps Up Family Flying Tradition—Mrs. William A. Moffett, widow of Admiral W. A. Moffett, shown as she recently christened the Macon, sister ship of the lost Akron."

"Widow of Rear Admiral Who Died on Akron on Air Trip to West—By Times Special—CHICAGO, April 28.—Mrs. William A. Moffett, undeterred from flying by the death of her husband, Rear Admiral Moffett, in the Akron disaster, stopped here Thursday on an air trip from Washington to Los Angeles."

"Mrs. Moffett was amazed that she could be considered daring for continuing to fly."

"'We all fly,' she declared, 'My sons, William and Lieutenant George Moffett, are naval aviators. My daughter, Mrs. Janet Moffett Moore, is a pilot, married to the executive director of the air lines between Los Angeles and Catalina Island.'"

"'My other two sons, Charles, 17, and Beverly, 14, flew from Washington to the Pacific coast Tuesday. It's a family tradition, I guess.'"

"Mrs. Moffett will be joined by her sons and daughters when she reaches Los Angeles."

The Indianapolis Times, Friday, 28 April 1933.

Commissioning ceremony for USS Macon (ZRS-5) at Akron, Ohio, on Friday, 23 June 1933.

"1933 USS Macon Dirigible brought into berth at Lakehurst, NJ Orig Press Photo"

—  "Macon Berthed at Lakehurst"  —

"On the top of the immense hangar, the cameraman views the U.S.S. Macon, the latest and largest dirigible of the U.S. Navy. As she is brought into her berth at Lakehurst, N.J., June 24th, after flying from Akron, OH. The great dirigible will be kept here until September when she is taken to Sunnyvale, CA."

"Credit Line (ACME) 6/24/33"

Undated (but not later than March 1934) photo of USS Macon (ZRS-5) in flight, showing the aft control station in the lower fin. US Navy photo.

Photo from United States Navy Aircraft since 1911, by Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers.

Three U.S. Navy Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawks in flight. These three aircraft formed the famous "Red, White and Blue" flight aboard the airship USS Macon (ZRS-5). The aircraft with the white band was No.9057. In this photograph which was taken on 6 July 1933, the blue-banded aircraft is in the foreground. USN Photo.

Scanned from United States Navy and Marine Corps Fighters 1918–1962, compiled by Paul R. Matt and edited by Bruce Robertson. Harleyford Publications Limited.

USS Macon (ZRS-5) flying over New York Harbor, circa Summer 1933. The southern end of Manhattan Island is visible in the lower left center.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 43901).

Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk fighters (including # 9055, at left, and 9057, in lower right) flying in a V formation, circa 1933–1935. These planes were part of the heavier-than-air group of USS Macon (ZRS-5).

Naval History & Heritage Command (NH&HC) photo, # NH 71617.

View in the airship's control car, looking forward, while she was in a hangar, circa 1933–1935. This is a halftone reproduction.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 82711).

View in the airship's auxiliary control station, located in the lower vertical fin, circa 1933–1935. This is a halftone reproduction.

U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph, # NH 82712.

USS Macon (ZRS-5) arriving at Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey, after her delivery flight from Akron, Ohio, 24 June 1933. Note the light ground haze over the field.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 669).

USS Macon (ZRS-5) conducts initial operations with her Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk aircraft, over New Egypt, New Jersey, 7 July 1933. The two planes, visible below the airship, were piloted by Lieutenant D. Ward Harrigan and Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Frederick N. Kivette.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives (# 80-G-441983).

Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk fighter (Bureau # 9057), piloted by Lieutenant D. Ward Harrigan, USN, hanging from the trapeze of USS Macon (ZRS-5) during flight operations in 1933.

Official U.S. Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), photo # 80-G-441979.

Lieutenant Harold B. "Min" Miller, USN, with his Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk fighter, while visiting his hometown, Newton, Iowa, while en route from Lakehurst, New Jersey, to Moffett Field, California, in October 1933. The man in the plane's cockpit is Aviation Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Glowacki. Both men, and the aircraft, were part of the USS Macon (ZRS-5) heavier-than-air group. Macon was also en route to Moffett Field, but her Sparrowhawks were making the trip independently.

Courtesy of Harold B. Miller, 1973.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 77429).

USS Macon (ZRS-5) docked in the new airship hangar at Naval Air Station Moffett Field, Sunnyvale, California, on 15 October 1933. She had just arrived after a flight across the United States from Lakehurst, New Jersey. A small blimp is also in the hangar.

Photograph from the NAS Moffett Field History File.

Official U.S. Navy photograph, from the collections of the Naval History & Heritage Command (# NH 85743).

USS Macon (ZRS-5) being docked in hangar at Naval Air Station Moffet Field, Sunnyvale, California, ca 1933–1934. National Archives photo.

Admiral David F. Sellers, USN (left), Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Fleet, in the control car of USS Macon (ZRS-5) on 9 November 1933, during his visit to the airship for a flight in the vicinity of San Francisco, California. Standing with him is Macon's Commanding Officer, Commander Alger H. Dresel, USN.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 50274).

Note: The date of this photo is sometimes given as 9 November 1934. This is incorrect, since ADM Sellers was relieved as CINCUS in June 1934, and CDR Dresel was relieved as CO of Macon in July that year.

USS Macon (ZRS-5) approaching mooring mast at Naval Air Station Moffet Field, Sunnyvale, California, 17 December 1933.

NASA Ames Research Center, photo A91-0261-26.

Ship's officers pose below her control car, in the Naval Air Station Moffett Field, California, airship hangar, circa 1933–1934. Those present are:

Seated in front, left to right: Lieutenant Anthony L. Danis; Lieutenant Howard N. Coulter; Lieutenant Calvin M. Bolster, Construction Corps; Lieutenant Scott E. Peck; Lieutenant Commander Bertram J. Rodgers or Lieutenant Commander Joseph C. Arnold; Commander Alger H. Dresel, Commanding Officer; Lieutenant Commander Edwin F. Cochrane; Lieutenant Donald McA. MacKey; Lieutenant Charles W. Roland; Lieutenant Walter E. Zimmerman; and Lieutenant Frederick M. Trapnell.

Standing in back, left to right: Chief Boatswain William A. Buckley; Lieutenant (Junior Grade) George W. Campbell; Lieutenant (Junior Grade) John D. Reppy; Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Robert W. Larson; Lieutenant Howard L. Young; Lieutenant Harold B. Miller; Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Frederick N. Kivette; and Chief Machinist Emmet C. Thurman.

Courtesy of Harold B. Miller, 1973.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 77424).

The airship USS Macon (ZRS-5) operating with the fleet, 1933–34.

A U.S. Navy Consolidated N2Y-1 (# 8604) while fitted for skyhook familiarization training. Photo courtesy Fred Bamberger Collection.

Photo from United States Navy Aircraft since 1911, by Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers.

A U.S. Navy Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk (# 9056) parked at an airfield, circa 1933–1935. This plane is part of the USS Macon (ZRS-5) heavier-than-air group, whose insignia is painted below the cockpit.

Official U.S. Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives and Records Administration (# 80-G-432806).

U.S. Navy Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk (# 9056) with the definitive skyhook arrangement for attachment to either USS Akron (ZRS-4) or USS Macon (ZRS-5). No. 9056 was the first of six machines of this type to be built. USN Photo.

Scanned from United States Navy and Marine Corps Fighters 1918–1962, compiled by Paul R. Matt and edited by Bruce Robertson.

USS Macon (ZRS-5) docked in the new airship hangar at Naval Air Station Moffett Field, Sunnyvale, California, 15 October 1933, following her flight across the United States from Lakehurst, New Jersey. A small blimp is also in the hangar. Photograph from the NAS Moffett Field History File.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command (NH&HC), # NH 85746.

Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk fighters (including, from left to right: #s 9058, 9060, and 9061) flying in formation over Naval Air Station Moffett Field, California, in 1934. These planes were part of the heavier-than-air group of USS Macon (ZRS-5).

Courtesy of Harold B. Miller, 1973.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 77426).

Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk fighter (Bureau # 9058), piloted by Lieutenant Harold B. "Min" Miller, flying over Naval Air Station Moffett Field, California, in 1934. This plane was then assigned to USS Macon (ZRS-5).

Courtesy of Harold B. Miller, 1973.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 77428).

USS Macon (ZRS-5) moored at Camp Kearney, San Diego, California, on 8 February 1934.

Courtesy of Harold B. Miller, 1973.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 77425).

USS Macon (ZRS-5) flying over San Diego harbor, California, 9 February 1934. Photographed from USS Dobbin (AD-3).

Donation of Franklin Moran, 1967.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 65302).

USS Macon (ZRS-5) flying over San Diego harbor, California, 9 February 1934, with an airplane flying nearby. Photographed from USS Dobbin (AD-3).

Donation of Franklin Moran, 1967.

Naval History & Heritage Command (NH&HC) photo, # NH 65304.

USS Macon (ZRS-5) in flight over San Diego harbor, California, 9 February 1934. Photographed from USS Dobbin (AD-3).

Donation of Franklin Moran, 1967.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 65305).

USS Macon (ZRS-5) flying over San Diego harbor, California, 9 February 1934. Photographed from USS Dobbin (AD-3).

Donation of Franklin Moran, 1967.

Naval History & Heritage Command (NH&HC) photo, # NH 65306.

USS Macon (ZRS-5) in flight a few seconds after the command "Up Ship" was given, 20 March 1934.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo, # 80-CF-4167-15.

USS Macon (ZRS-5) over San Diego harbor, California, 1934. Photographed from USS Dobbin (AD-3), through the rigging of two destroyers that were tied up alongside. Note lookout "crows' nests" on the destroyers' foremasts. This photograph is dated 9 February 1934, but was probably taken after March 1934, as one set of water recovery condensers has been removed from above Macon's engines.

Donation of Franklin Moran, 1967.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 65303).

USS Macon (ZRS-5) over San Diego harbor, California, 1934. Photographed from USS Dobbin (AD-3). This photograph is dated 9 February 1934, but was probably taken after March 1934, as one set of water recovery condensers has been removed from above Macon's engines.

Donation of Franklin Moran, 1967.

Naval History & Heritage Command (NH&HC) photo, # NH 65596).

The spy basket of USS Macon (ZRS-5) in operation, suspended from a cable below the airship, 27 September 1934. The "spy basket" could be lowered below the clouds with a landing tether attached.

This image is a frame from a motion picture film, photographed from an airplane flying nearby.

Courtesy of Harold B. Miller, 1973.

Naval History & Heritage Command (NH&HC) photo (# NH 77431).

Two of the airship's Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk fighters attached to her trapeze (left) and perch, during flight operations near Naval Air Station Moffett Field, California, 12 October 1934. This image is a frame from a motion picture film, taken from an airplane flying alongside USS Macon (ZRS-5). The planes' pilots were Lieutenant Harold B. Miller (plane on the trapeze) and Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Frederick N. Kivette (plane on the perch). Both planes have their wheel landing gear removed, as was generally the practice when they operated from Macon after 19 July 1934.

Courtesy of Harold B. Miller, 1973.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 77437).

Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk fighter, with its landing gear removed for airship operations, maneuvers near USS Macon (ZRS-5), while being filmed by Fox Movietone News cameras on 12 October 1934. The plane's pilot was Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Frederick N. Kivette, USN.

Courtesy of Richard K. Smith, author of the book The Airships Akron & Macon, 1974.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 84571).

Waco XJW-1 utility airplane (Bureau # 9522) parked at an airfield, circa 1934–1935. This airplane was assigned to USS Macon (ZRS-5).

Courtesy of Richard K. Smith, author of the book The Airships Akron & Macon, 1974.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 80772).

A U.S. Navy Waco XJW-1 (# 9522) with trapeze hook for operation from the airship USS Macon (ZRS-5). USN photo.

From United States Navy Aircraft since 1911, by Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers.

Waco XJW-1 utility airplane (# 9521) parked at Naval Air Station Moffett Field, California, circa 1934–1935. This plane is assigned to USS Macon (ZRS-5).

Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1972.

Naval History & Heritage Command (NH&HC) photo # NH 75575).

An F-9C Sparrowhawk aircraft hanging in the Navy Memorial Museum (now National Museum of the U.S. Navy). Building 76, Washington Navy Yard, 1975.

National Museum of the U.S. Navy (NMUSN) Photograph Collection, # NMUSN-4393.

An F-9C Sparrowhawk aircraft being prepared for exhibit in the Navy Memorial Museum (now National Museum of the U.S. Navy). Building 76, Washington Navy Yard, 1975. Note the insignia of the airship USS Macon (ZRS-5).

National Museum of the U.S. Navy (NMUSN) Photograph Collection, # NMUSN-5157.

Some of USS Macon's officers aboard USS Richmond (CL-9) on the morning after her crash. Macon went down during the night on 12 February 1935. Present are (left to right): Lieutenant (Junior Grade) George W. Campbell; Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Gerald L. Huff; Lieutenant Anthony L. Danis; Lieutenant Harold B. Miller; Lieutenant Commander George H. Mills; Lieutenant Commander Calvin M. Bolster, Construction Corps; Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Earl K. Van Swearingen; Lieutenant Howard N. Coulter; Chief Boatswain William A. Buckley; and Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Leroy C. Simpler.

Courtesy of Harold B. Miller, 1973.

Naval History & Heritage Command photo (# NH 77423).

"WILEY TELLS HIS STORY—Relates Macon Loss—Lieut. Comdr. H. V. Wiley, Radio Photograph of the master of the airship Macon made aboard the rescue cruiser Concord as he tells of the accident that sent the great craft plunging into the Pacific with the loss of two lives. International Photo."

The Washington Times, Thursday, 14 February 1935.

This sophisticated photomontage shows the remains of USS Macon (ZRS-5) and her four fighters on the seabed.

"The wreckage of the Macon and four aircraft lie at a depth of more than 1,500 feet and were first 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 first archaeological expedition in 2006 that documented the Macon's remains."

"Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the loss of the U.S. Navy airship USS Macon, NOAA today [11 February 2010] announced that the wreck site on the seafloor within Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary has been added to the National Register of Historic Places."

(More information available at the NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] website.)

View of a port wing of one of four Curtiss Sparrowhawk F9C-2 biplanes found at the USS Macon (ZRS-5) wreck site, September 2006.

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Photo No. Unknown.

The sky hook located at the center of the Curtiss Sparrowhawk F9C-2 biplanes. During flight, the pilot would position the aircraft below USS Macon's hangar where a trapeze was lowered to hook the plane. Sparrowhawk pilots were nicknamed the "men on the flying trapeze." As seen in the September 2006 expedition.

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Photo No. Unknown.

USS Macon (ZRS-5) dirigible model, 1970s. On display. Original is a camera film strip. National Museum of the U.S. Navy (NMUSN) Photograph Collection, # NMUSN-1526.

"U.S.S. Macon Nose Raising — Akron Airdock July 4, 1932"

"Signed: — G. Glen Toole, Mayor Macon, Ga. — V.S. Stevens, Sec'y.C.of C."

"The U.S.S. Macon, named in honor of the city of Macon, GA."

"The U.S.S. Macon, largest airship in the world, is 785 feet long and has a maximum diameter of 133 feet. Its gas capacity is 6,500,000 cubic feet, nearly twice that of the Graf Zeppelin."

"N.Y.C. Greets U.S.S. Macon," 1933.

"U.S.S. Macon Sighted by U.S.S. Pennsylvania." Dated 15 January 1935.

"This souvenir post card of the rigid airship Macon comes to you from the annual exhibition of the RUBBER CITY STAMP CLUB, AKRON, OHIO. Reproduced from an original photograph furnished by the Goodyear Aerospace Corp."

"USS Macon, Goodyear built rigid airship for the U.S. Navy and sister ship of the USS Akron, was launched and made its original flight in Akron, O. in April 21, 1933. Ultimately it was based at the U.S. Naval Air Station, Moffett Field, Calif. Returning from maneuvers with the U.S. Fleet, in the Pacific, on Feb. 12, 1935, Macon suffered damage, settled into the sea, off Point Sur, California and subsequently was destroyed. Of the 83 aboard, all were rescued but two. This view shows the Macon in the Goodyear Airship Hanger, Akron, Ohio, which is the largest of its type in the world."

"(This card is third in a series)"

Dated Nov. 21, 1965.

"This souvenir post card of the rigid airship Macon comes to you from the 59th Anniversary Exhibition of the Rubber City Stamp Club, Akron, Ohio. Photograph from the files of Lighter-Than-Air Society."

"The Macon was launched in Akron, Ohio 45 years ago, April 21, 1933. Built by Goodyear for the Navy, she was the sister ship of the Akron. The Macon was damaged while on maneuvers in the Pacific and went into the sea off Point Sur, California February 12, 1935 with the loss of two lives."

"The dimensions of the Macon were:
785 feet long    133 feet diameter
6,850,000 cubic feet gas capacity
8 Maybach engines, 4480 HP, 87.2 MPH."

"The Macon was the last of the U.S. built rigid air ships."

"(This card is sixteenth in a series)"

"Dirigible Macon Falls into Sea off Point Sur: 81 of Crew Saved" 80th anniversary, dated 11 February 2015.

"An Artist's Conception of the Macon's Crash—Here is the conception of Associated Press Artist Noel Sickles of the crash of the dirigible Macon off Point Sur on the coast of California. Bursting of a gas chamber preceded the airship's fall into the water. [Associated Press]."

The Utica Daily Press, Utica, NY, Tuesday, 12 February 1935.

USS Macon (ZRS-5) appeared in Here Comes the Navy (1934. Directed by Lloyd Bacon. Written by Earl Baldwin and Ben Markson. Starring James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Gloria Stuart and Frank McHugh).

Filmed in the spring of 1934, Macon crashed in February 1935. The film was also shot aboard USS Arizona (BB-39), sunk on 7 December 1941 during the attack on Pearl Harbor.