Tag Archives: Naval History and Heritage Command

Exploring the Wreck of USS Macon, The Navy's Last Flying Aircraft Carrier

Exploring the Wreck of USS Macon, The Navy’s Last Flying Aircraft Carrier

A screen grab of video from the Aug. 18, 2015 dive on the USS Macon. Ocean Exploration Trust Photo

A screen grab of video from the Aug. 18, 2015 dive on the USS Macon. Ocean Exploration Trust Photo

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Eighty years ago, the Navy’s last flying aircraft carrier crashed off the coast of California and sank to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

The sinking of USS Macon (ZRS-5), a lighter-than-air rigid airship, resulted in few deaths but its loss ended the Navy’s quest to use airships as long-range scouts for the fleet.

While the idea died, the wreck Macon lives on as an important archaeological site and this week Naval History and Heritage Command, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and several non-profits came together to explore the wreckage, mapping out pieces of the airship and its four biplanes and studying the change in its material condition over time. Read More

USS Houston Dive Report Finalized

USS Houston Dive Report Finalized

Sailors assigned to the submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) lower a wreath into the water as naval officers from Australia, Indonesia and the United States observe during a ceremony in honor of the crews of the U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Houston (CA 30) and the Royal Australian Navy light cruiser HMAS Perth (D29) on Oct. 14, 2014. US Navy Photo

Sailors assigned to the submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) lower a wreath into the water as naval officers from Australia, Indonesia and the United States observe during a ceremony in honor of the crews of the U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Houston (CA 30) and the Royal Australian Navy light cruiser HMAS Perth (D29) on Oct. 14, 2014. US Navy Photo

The U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command has finalized its report on the wreck of USS Houston (CA-30) — a cruiser sunk by the Imperial Japanese Navy in an early World War II battle off the coast of Indonesia. Read More

Document: Dive Report on USS Houston

Document: Dive Report on USS Houston

USS Houston (CA-30) in 1934. US Navy Photo

USS Houston (CA-30) in 1934. US Navy Photo

The following is a July 25, 2014 report from the Naval History and Heritage Command on the June expedition to the wreck of USS Houston (CA-30). Read More