USS Macon finds Roosevelt at sea; parasite biplanes deliver his newspapers at Clipperton
By the summer of 1934, the Navy's fleet exercises had not yet fully accounted for the airship's scouting capabilities and weaknesses. The USS Macon, a 785-foot helium-filled scout ship carrying its own squadron of parasite biplanes, set out to prove a point: find a ship at sea before anyone knew to look for it. In July, soon after the Houston's stop at Clipperton Island, she located the heavy cruiser Houston and delivered newspapers and magazines to President Franklin D. Roosevelt himself. The Houston radioed back that the President sent his compliments on the navigation and thanked the crew for the papers…
