August 30, 1943 Hornet CV-12 was launched at Newport News. Laid down as Kearsarge she was renamed Hornet in honor of the Hornet CV-8 which was lost on Oct. 27, 1942. Just like her namesake she went straight into battle following her shakedown cruise. Hornet had a glorious career in World war II earning seven battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation.

Aircraft from Hornet supported operations in places like New Guinea, Tinian, Saipan, Guam, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Leyte and finally Japan itself. She was there at the Battle of the Philippine Sea and at Leyte Gulf. Her aircraft were among those who sank the mighty Japanese battleship Yamato on Apr. 6, 1945. She ended her duty in the war as a transport for thousands of U.S. troops returning home.

Following the war she was converted twice, once to an attack carrier (CVA) and later to an antisubmarine support carrier (CVS) and continued to serve the Navy including duty off Vietnam until 1967.

Her final duty was not in combat but with NASA. Hornet was the carrier that recovered the Apollo 11 space capsule on July 24, 1969 after the first moon landing. She also recovered Apollo 12 before heading into the reserve fleet and obscurity.

Doomed to the cutting torch in 1993 Hornet was herself rescued when the company who bought her defaulted and the Navy repossessed the carrier and donated her as a museum ship. The Hornet is on display in Alameda, California.

© 2006 Michael W. Pocock
MaritimeQuest.com

July 24, 1969: The Apollo 11 space capsule being lowered on to the deck of the USS Hornet CVS-12.