High-Resolution 2D and 3D Imaging of the USS Macon Wreck Site

Summary

USS Macon, the last large Navy airship, was lost along with the biplanes it carried off the coast of California in 1935. The wreck site was discovered in 1990, surveyed in 1991, 1992, and 2006, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. Visuals of the preservation level of the crash site, especially the still partially fabric-covered wings of the biplanes, are incredibly valuable for public engagement with the site. At 1500 ft depth and protected by the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, however, not many have been able to see or understand the entire site. In 2015 a joint OET/NOAA/Navy survey mapped the Macon using 2D photomosaic, microbathymetry, and 3D modeling techniques. These new visual products will inform and engage public and academic interest in a as well as enhance interpretive ability of the site.

Cite this Record

High-Resolution 2D and 3D Imaging of the USS Macon Wreck Site. Michael Brennan, Megan Lickliter-Mundon, Bruce Terrell. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Washington, D.C. 2016 ( tDAR id: 434299)

Keywords

Temporal Keywords
1935

Spatial Coverage

min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 217