USS Macon was built at the Goodyear Airdock in Springfield Township, Ohio by the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation. Because this was by far the biggest airship ever to be built in America, a team of experienced German airship engineers, led by Chief Designer Karl Arnstein, instructed and supported design and construction of both the USS Macon and the USS Akron. From the collection…
Sister ship of the USS Akron. Measuring an incredible 785 feet in length, the Macon and Akron were the largest airships in the world. At 50mph, these airships has a potential 10,580 mile range. The airships were large enough to house 5 airplanes that could be launched and recovered while in flight. From the collection…
The USS Macon was christened on 11 March 1933, by Jeanette Whitton Moffett, wife of Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, Chief of the U.S. Navy’s Bureau of Aeronautics. The airship was named after the city of Macon, Georgia. On April 21, 1933, just weeks after the loss of the USS Akron in which Admiral Moffett…
In this Picture Postcard view of the USS Macon, a member of the crew checks one of the ships many gasoline tanks prior to a test flight from the Goodyear-Zeppelin dock in Akron. This is the starboard lateral gangway. Narrow catwalks like this one stretched throughout the interior of the ships hull. The Macon ZRS-5, The Macon, was…
The USS Macon was built at the Goodyear Airdock in Springfield Township (Akron) by the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation. This was by far the biggest airship ever to be built in America. A team of experienced German airship engineers—led by Chief Designer Karl Arnstein—instructed and supported design and construction of both the U.S. Navy airships Macon and Akron.