MOSS LANDING, Calif. -- Local marine scientists have returned from a deep-sea exploration of the wrecked airship USS Macon, and on Wednesday they shared some of the information they gathered and the images they captured.

Researchers unveiled their findings in Moss Landing.

Using high-definition video and still cameras, researchers conducted an investigation of the airship, which sits about 1,500 feet deep.

The wing section belonging to one of four planes that were on the airship when it went down off Point Sur in 1935 is among the images researchers captured on video. Two crew members died when the airship crashed.

For the first time, researchers were able to distinguish key features of the dirigible, including the bow and objects from the ship's galley. The wreck now serves as an artificial reef that is home to many fish.

The last time researchers examined the site was 15 years ago, and they said it looks different now.

"We saw a lot more detail, a lot of objects that I had not seen before. And there were kind of some new discoveries, some new items that were on the bottom," Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute researcher Chris Grech said.

"The National Marine Sanctuary Act encouraged us to go out and record and bring the discoveries back to the public, and also, to really properly protect the Macon site, we need to go down and determine what is there at the site," researcher Robert Schwemmer added.

More than 10,000 images were taken during the five-day trip. The pictures will be made into a two-dimensional mosaic and made available to the public.

Researchers said they will also do some outreach to inform the public about the landmarks resting at the bottom of Monterey Bay.

They will also use their information in an attempt to get the wreckage of the Macon listed on the National Register of Historic Places.