USS Hornet Museum Ship: “The Grey Ghost” of the Pacific

How many people can boast that they have a historic WWII-built aircraft carrier in their backyard? That is also responsible for the successful recovery of Apollo astronauts’ on their return to Earth, AND known as the most haunted ship in the United States? Guess what? We can! 😊 We were granted permission to board the famous USS Hornet, and have awesome stories to share!

The USS Hornet is anchored at the pier in Alameda, just a short drive across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco. This is your chance to explore this US Navy’s lovingly restored ship, take a peek into the life of the sailors who lived within her hulls, and possibly say hello to a few ghosts.

USS Hornet History – A Few Quick Facts 

How many USS Hornets were there? Eight. There is a bit of confusion about the total number of the USS Hornets, so let us break it down for you. There were only eight ships named Hornet. The very first USS Hornet was commissioned way back in 1775 and served during the Revolutionary War. And, the USS Hornet (CV-12) that we visited is the last ship proudly bearing the Hornet name.

The CV-12 was built and deployed in astonishing 16 months and was originally supposed to be named the Kearsarge. But prior to launch, she was renamed to honor the USS Hornet (CV-8) which is known for its role during the Battle of Midway, and then sunk by enemy fire in 1942 in the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands. CV-8 remains were recently discovered in January 2019 by the Solomon Islands.

The USS Hornet (CV-12) also known as “The Grey Ghost” served in combat missions through WWII in the Pacific Ocean and recovery missions, including Operation Magic Carpet bringing stranded troops back home post-World War II. Before her final decommissioning in 1970, the USS Hornet operated in the Vietnamese waters, performed search and rescue missions, and played a key role in recovering the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 astronauts after their splashdown on Earth.

“Hornet Plus Three” – Apollo 11 

Like so many of you, we love a good sci-fi movie, a Robinson Crusoe-like survival on Mars, or cheering for Sandra Bullock to come back home safely from space. In May 2020, we were mesmerized by the takeoff of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon with two astronauts aboard, and their successful return. 

How many humans have actually walked on the Moon? Only Twelve, all from the US Apollo program. The last expedition to travel beyond the low Earth orbit was Apollo 17 in 1972. The very first one was Apollo 11.

Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins were on Apollo 11, the first successful mission to land on the Moon on June 20, 1969. Neil and Buzz spent 2 hours, 31 minutes on the surface of the Moon, while Michael was holding down the fort inside the capsule, ensuring they’d all have a safe trip back to Earth.

Upon splashdown off the coast of Hawaii, the USS Hornet recovered the space capsule, where the three astronauts were greeted by President Nixon, other dignitaries, and the ship’s crew. Once aboard, the Apollo 11 team was placed in quarantine to get rid of Moon germs.

The USS Hornet Tour

DISCLOSURE: During these uncertain times, please check the hours of operations, and what areas and activities (e.g. Escape Room, Paranormal Tours, Overnight Experience, Flight Simulator, and Below Deck) are open to the public on the USS Hornet prior to your visit! Here is a handy link to the USS Hornet – Sea, Air, and Space Museum site, just for you! 😊

Airplanes, Helicopters, and Flight Simulators

Whether you come with friends or a youth group, The USS Hornet offers docent-led tours that are exciting, fun, and educational.

With dozens of displays and exhibits, you can get up close and personal with real period aircraft, helicopters, fighter jets, and even a flight simulator! Remember the movie “Top Gun”? See this beauty!

The Island

Looking like something from a “Mad Max” movie, this towering structure atop of the flight deck is called The Island.

This is where the Captain, commanding officers, and several vital crew members would work together to navigate this massive floating city. Depending on who you ask, this structure was the brain of the Hornet’s entire operation. 

We were totally enthralled with the stories from our guides as we maneuvered through the Island.

Did you know that out of the myriad of stars in our sky, you only need to know the position of 500 of them to navigate anywhere in the world? Pretty easy, right? 

Combat Information Center (CIC)

The CIC Room is one of the most intriguing areas of the ship, at the base of the Island. Once the guide shuts off the lights, the radars and panels light up with a soft glow, giving you a truly immersive experience of what real-life operations aboard the Hornet were like.

Imagine spending your whole shift in this room — you wouldn’t know what time of day or night it was! 

Below The Main Decks

Surprisingly, there is much more room inside the ship than we had expected. In fact, the crews berthing (bunk) areas were about the same size as you’d imagine typical barracks to be, tight but manageable. There are berths located throughout the ship, and at maximum capacity could sleep up to 3500 crew members. There were also separate sleeping quarters for the Marines assigned to the ship for security and special duties.

Compared to the size of some restaurants in San Francisco, the dining or mess hall that we saw (there are a few of them) was a pretty good size as well, with tables and buffet-style meals.

There were also commissaries or ‘ship stores’ which sold snacks and other sundries like playing cards, magazines, and board games. 

Other amenities include such comforts like a rec-room, library, and a chapel. So, for the 3500 residents of this small city, the Hornet was literally a home away from home.

But when duty called, everybody onboard from all 20 decks had less than mere minutes to be up and ready! It didn’t matter if you were eating, sleeping, or showering. And on a ship that’s almost three football fields in length, that doesn’t give you much time to diddle-daddle! “Your feet are awake before your head.”

Women In The Navy

The USS Hornet, Air, Sea, and Space Museum has an exhibition room devoted entirely to women serving in the Navy. This exhibit displays different styles of uniforms, as well as a vast history of their accomplishments and contributions to our military.

For centuries, women were not permitted to step foot aboard a ship or be a part of the crew. Even more unlikely to serve as military personnel in the Navy. However, many women worked for the navy as nurses since the Revolutionary War. The US Navy Nurse Corp was officially established in 1908.

In 1942, President Roosevelt signed a legislation allowing women to re-enlist into the Navy, for the first time since WWI. They became knows as “WAVES” — “Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service”, the nickname retired in 1972. For many women, it was their only chance to leave home, be independent, and maybe travel abroad. One of our fantastic guides, Bert, told us his mother did just that! She ran away from the family farm in middle America to join the US Navy.

Today, women serve in various roles in the US Navy. In 2014 Michelle J. Howard became the first female US Navy four-star admiral, the highest rank normally achievable, and the highest ranking African-American and woman in naval history.

Down To The Engine Room

The Hornet’s four steam turbine engines crank out 150,000 horsepower that can push this 24,580-ton ship (or 49,160,000 pounds!) through the water at full speed (33 knots, or 38 mph). And she could travel 14,100 nautical miles on a single tank of gas! 

Some would call the engine room the true heart of the ship. It was also the hottest! Sailors would think they were in the bowels of Hell, working their shift entirely on foot under such intense conditions. The steel floors below the air vents are literally worn-down from sailors standing there to ‘cool off’ and catch their breath. 

USS Hornet Ghost Tour

Allegedly, The USS Hornet is the most haunted ship in the entire United States and has been investigated by both the Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures television shows. Around 200 sailors are reported to have died while aboard the Hornet. So possibly, some of them still roam its decks. 

Some claim to have seen a ghostly figure dressed in a Naval Officer’s uniform, moving about the ship. Others say they have felt tugging on clothing or touching of the hair. During our visit, we were certain we saw an ‘orb’ zipping past us! Even though we had our cameras ready, it was just too quick to capture. But we know what we saw, and are sticking to our story. 

Still a little skeptical? The Hornet offers a 3-hour History Mystery Tour, taking you through the ship’s long dark passageways, and into the areas not normally visited by the public. But if you need more time to snoop around, pack a sleeping bag and a flashlight, and book the History Mystery OVERNIGHT Tour!

From 6pm to 9am the next morning, you will spend the night inside the crew’s sleeping quarters, conducting ghost investigations of your own. Faye Navarro, a paranormal specialist of almost a decade will guide you through the Hornet’s more ‘active’ locations, while sharing some interesting stories of some of her past investigations.

With special ghost detecting gizmos like the K2 device, rem pod, and a motion-sensitive music box, you’ll experience a real ghost hunting adventure. If you’re as fortunate as we were, you might even see these devices light up after detecting a paranormal presence! You can also bring your own digital recorder for an EVP session, and take home a digital souvenir! But Please, wait till AFTER the recording to open up that bag of chips and start crunching. Digital recorders pick up everything! 😊

Thank you USS Hornet, Sea, Air, and Space Museum for these amazing private tours. Our special thanks and hellos go to Bert Carlson and Mike Gordon, our super-awesome guides for the historical part of the tour– we could write a book based on your stories! 😊 Thank you for your service! 

And thanks to the incredible Faye Navarro for the Ghost Tour, truly enjoyed it, hoping to come back for an overnight experience soon! To Mark Epperson, Executive Director, Russell Moore, Outreach Coordinator, and of course, Sam Lamonica, the USS Hornet Trustee, for making it all happen. So many things learned, so much left to explore!

If you’d like to volunteer and support the USS Hornet Foundation, or get some cool memorabilia in the Gift Store or passes for a future visit – Do it now!

For more cool museums in the San Francisco Bay Area, check out our posts about Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, Blackhawk Museum complex, and Winchester Mystery House to start with. 

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