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ZRS-5 U.S.S. Macon
The U.S.S. Macon was christened on March 13, 1933 by the wife of the Chief of Aeronautics, Mrs. William A Moffett. He was a lighter-than-air enthusiast, a U. S. Navy rear admiral, who perished aboard Akron on her last flight. With Los Angeles grounded and Akron gone, Macon was pressured to demonstrate the potential of lighter-than-air craft despite an awareness of "minor" structural deficiencies which should have been corrected by a prudent pause for routine maintenance. On February 12, 1935, following failure of her upper fin, she was ditched off the coast of California. Of the 83 souls on board, 2 were lost. Macon had flown 54 flights/1,798 hours in her 23 months of service.