The USS Hornet (CV-12)

USS Hornet CV-12

Not all battle ships were given a chance to tell their story in person, if only through its bunk beds, beaten bridge, used corridors, and worn out watertight hatches. The USS Hornet (CV-12) is lucky enough to be transformed from being a defender of freedom at sea to being a museum that entertains and educates people about the significance of battleships—a living ambassador of the thousands of others that are decommissioned or accepted defeat during service.

The Legacy of “The USS Hornet”

uss hornet cv-12 musseum

The USS Hornets belonged to the Essex class aircraft carriers; there were 8 USS Hornets commissioned from 1775 to 1943: the first Hornet served during the Revolutionary War, and the eighth, the USS Hornet (CV-12), serve from WWII until the writing of this piece as a private museum. The seventh USS Hornet played a key role during the “Doolittle Raid” and fought during the “Battle of Midway” and the “Battle of Santa Cruz” where it was overwhelmed by air attacks and was laid to rest where it last stood its coordinates in the Guadalcanal.

The Contributions of “USS Hornet (CV-12)”

apollo 11 uss hornet

Among the 8 USS Hornets, the most celebrated is USS Hornet (CV-12) who participated not just in war but also in scientific endeavors that shot the United States atop other countries in terms of outer space exploration. The USS Hornet survived 59 heavy air attacks; it has a hand in destroying 1,410 Japanese warplanes and 1,269,710 tons of enemy warships.

But perhaps the ship’s crowning glory where the world watched with much anticipation and awe happened when USS Hornet (CV-12) retrieved Apollo 11′s Command Module from the sea after its successful mission to land man on the moon. The C-12 also participated in the succeeding space mission of the Apollo 12.

Saving “The USS Hornet (CV-12)”

the uss hornet musseum

After its decommissioning in 1970, the USS Hornet (CV-12) laid dormant in its berth in Bremerton, Washington. In 1997, the historic warship was scheduled to be scrapped in the San Francisco Bay Area; it would have been a tragic end of such a significant battle ship had it not been for Captain James Dodge who brought her back to the attention of the masses during the 50th WWII anniversary celebration in Alameda, California.

The Aircraft Carrier Hornet Foundation raised $2.4 million dollars of private funds, and in 1998, the historic ship became a full fledge museum earning money from gate admissions and store sales.

USS Hornet (CV-12)’s Peace Time Role

uss hornet cv-12 musseum display

Today, the USS Hornet (CV-12) serves a different kind of role: it serves as the ambassador to other warships at sea, floating or not, educating people from all over the world about the price of freedom. At its berth in Alameda, the Hornet Museum is a popular destination of school children and tourists; it’s also popular among corporations that hold great pride and honor of their country—there’s no shortage of bookings to hold corporate events on the ship’s flight deck. You can check the Hornet Museum for upcoming events, which you and your family and friends can participate.

Not Everyone is Silent Onboard the Ship

If you like mystery and the prospect of experiencing ghostly phenomena, the ship is not short of stories to tell too. Perhaps because of the ship’s long history of enemy violence and deaths onboard, not everyone, including the departed, are silent onboard the USS Hornet (CV-12) today. Witnesses say ghostly phenomena such as sightings and unexplained noise and moving objects are common in Hornet Museum. So if you see a shadowy image moving across a hall or hear clanging where there shouldn’t be in Hornet Museum, just remind yourself of the ship’s significance that not everyone is willing to disembark long after they departed.

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