click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
If anyone needs to be reminded of the seriousness of war, all they have to do is go aboard the aircraft-carrier USS Hornet, now docked in Alameda, California.
THIS IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE HORNET'S HISTORY:
--- It only took 16 months to build the Hornet.
--- Hornet participated in WW2, Vietnam, and the first moon missions.
--- Hornet didn't tie up to a pier for 15 months and was continually in the front areas of the Pacific War during WW2.
--- Attacked 59 times, she was never hit by an exploding bomb, torpedo or Kamikaze aircraft.
--- Hornet pilots shot down a record 62 enemy aircraft in one day during the famous "Great Mariannas Turkey Shoot" and 255 in one month.
--- Ten pilots became "Ace in a Day" with five or more "kills" in one day.
--- Hornet launched the first carrier aircraft strikes in support of the liberation of the Philippines and the first against Tokyo since the famed Doolittle Raid.
--- Over 250 Hornet pilots and crewmen were lost during WW2.
--- In 1969 Hornet recovered the Apollo 11 space capsule and the first man to walk on the moon. A few months later, she also rcovered the Apollo 12 capsule and its all-Navy crew.
--- In 1991 Hornet was designated a National Historic Landmark.
--- In 1998 she was donated to the Aircraft Carrier Hornet Foundation (ACHF) and became a public museum.
click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
Announcement:
I shot enough photos aboard the Hornet on Friday to put together a new set on what I call my "Big" site, over at: www.photoarrow.com/big/19/19usshornet.html
click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
CLICK to visit my Daily-Duo.
CLICK to visit KittyBLOG -- the daily doings of my cat.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.
Your comments are invited and welcome.
4 comments:
They bought tears to my eyes. I would like to buy one from you. The helmet.
Some pretty cool shots!! Shame on me, I have never done the visit. I visited the USS PAMPANITO and I saw the ships close-up in Alameda when I drove to the Alameda flea market, but never stopped. I definitely will have to put that on my list of things to do very soon. Thanks for the great shots and the reminder!
The size of these ships is overwhelming. I have an old copy of Life Magazine that dates back from 1942 (I believe). There is an article in there about shipbuilding. According to that article, they were building Liberty ships in just a week!! Can you imagine?! A week?!!!
Hi Tomate Farcie,
Oh cool, you've been on the Pampanito -- I haven't yet, but I HAVE been on the Jeremiah O'Brien which has a really interesting engine room.
The Jeremiah O'Brien is a Liberty Ship (cargo vessel), and many were made in Sausalito at a blazing pace made possible by modular construction. My Grandfather worked there during the war... I used to have the Marinship book -- with really great photos and super-interesting stories written by the heads of each Marinship department... I gave the book to one of my little cousins one Xmas -- and sure wish I hadn't...
Would just love to see that Historic Carrier and walk back in time. If the Hornet could talk, she would have so much to say. - Les
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