Famous explorer Robert Ballard to seek out wreck of helium-powered Macon airship off Big Sur today.

On Tuesday Aug. 18, a legend goes after the remains of an infamous disaster—deep beneath the seas off of Big Sur—and curious onlookers can follow along online.

That legend is Robert Ballard, probably best known for finding the shipwreck of the RMS Titanic.

Not that his resume stops there. He is a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and a renowned oceanographer who helped discover hydrothermal vents on the seafloor, one of the greatest geological revelations in generations.

His TED Talk "The astonishing hidden world of the deep ocean" has been viewed more than 1,111,111 times.

Today the California native will plunge into waters off Monterey County in search of the remains of what some call "the United States' last great airship," the U.S.S. Macon.

The Macon, at 785 feet long, was only around 20 feet shorter than the Hindenburg, a huge helium-lifted dirigible that docked Sparrowhawk biplanes using metal "sky hooks."

In other words, it was a flying aircraft carrier. It was also the pride of the Navy.

In February of 1935 the Macon ran into a storm that knocked it into a slow death descent toward the Central Californian coast. 

The tragic crash of its sister ship the Akron, in which more than 70 airmen died two years earlier, meant the safety protocols were much improved on the Macon and only two passengers died.

Here's the fascinating news reel from the accident.

Now Ballard leads a mission to explore its remains, roughly 25 years after Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute researchers came across a wreck site some 60,000 feet below.

His Nautilus Live website presents real time video of their progress, and the chance to pitch questions at the explorer team, which uses remote operated vehicles and heavy duty submersibles to help advance its searches.

Here's hoping for a historic day.