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Empress of Skies With Brood Over San Pedro

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Buzzing her way over Southern California for a rendezvous with the fleet and to take on supplies near San Diego today, the U.S.S. Macon, giant dirigible, is shown above a San Pedro building yesterday. Note the two tiny fighting planes, maneuvering into position so they can be hauled through the airship's aperture on her under side.

PLANES LEAVE AND RETURN TO MACON IN MID-AIR TEST
Giant Dirigible Goes to San Diego Tonight to Equip for Fleet's Bay City Cruise Tomorrow

The Navy's dirigible Macon spent yesterday over San Pedro Bay, putting her own fighting planes through final practice flights prior to the stiff tactical tests which the great airship and her five-plane brood will undergo this week during the cruise of the United States Fleet to San Francisco.
The Macon dropped each of her tiny one-seater Sparrow Hawk fighters through the bottom of her envelope several times during the morning and then took them back aboard via the trapeze-hook after the planes had simulated repulse efforts against aircraft attempting to attack the dirigible.
She was scheduled to moor last night at the Camp Kearny mast, near San Diego, and will spend today there taking aboard fuel and supplies for her three-day flight with the fleet and for inspection by fleet aviation leaders.
Led by Admiral Frank H. Brumby, as acting Commander-in-Chief, some 100 ships and 200 aircraft of the United States Fleet will sortie from their San Pedro and San Diego bases early tomorrow for three days of cruising and battle exercises, culminating in their arrival at San Francisco Saturday morning.
The squadron will leave the Bay City on afternoon of December 17 and return here the following day, then to remain at anchor for the Christmas holiday period until January 3, before resuming tactical and gunnery training.
The battleship Texas, Rear Admiral C.S. Kempff's flagship of Battleship Division One, will not make the San Francisco trip, but will remain here alongside the repair ship Medusa for interim overhaul.