USS Hornet Museum

This is the USS Hornet on display at Alameda, CA. This Hornet was launched August 30, 1943 and served initially in World War II in the Pacific. The ship was built in only 16 months.

The Hornet is docked next to several other ships in Alameda.

The Hornet was decomissioned June 26, 1970, so the equipment on board dates back to that time or before.

The island is where most of the action was when underway.

To get on board and enter the museum, a gang plank provides access from the pier.

Entry is on the Hanger Deck, immediately below the Flight Deck where planes took off and landed. The first order of business after paying for admissions is to view a video giving some of the history of the Hornet, followed by a safety briefing. Docent-led tours leave hourly from the Hanger Deck.

The ladders (not stairs) between decks don't offer generous clearance around visitors, so backpacks and other similar gear must be checked before exploring the museum.

The Hornet propulsion is powered by steam-driven turbines driving the propellers via reduction gears.

The control room for each pair of steam-turbines includes electrical generation and distribution.

The steam turbines (white) directly drive the reduction gears (gray).

Basic power generated is 480 volts AC.

The high-pressure turbine on the right in back directly drives one side of the dual reduction gear system. The low pressure turbine (behind the docent) drives the other side of the dual reduction gear system. There are four propellers and four turbine-driven systems to match.

It's hard to imagine how hot and noisy this space must have been in operation.

This is one of two main electrical generation control and monitoring panels.

The output of the reduction gear system directly drives the propeller shaft (stripped).

The steam systems are shown in diagrams in the control space.

This is the main propulsion control panel, providing direct control of one of the four steam turbine systems and monitoring of all eight boilers and all four propulsion systems.

Communication system access points are everywhere.

The main steam valve for this turbine is operated through the shaft connected to these gears.

The back of the master propulsion control panel shows the shaft leading to the main steam valve for this propulsion system.

Communication with the navigation bridge is via engine-room telegraph and speed (turns/minute) telegraph. The central brass panel allows the engine room to respond to specific turns requests from the bridge.

The engine room telegraph specifies the speed directed by the bridge. The engine room responds to those commands here.

An overall view of the master propulsion control panel.

Among the many means of communications provided is the traditional talking pipe, here with bell and response button.

After the steam has run through the turbines, it is condensed (using sea water run through pipes), fresh water is added to make up for losses, and dissolved oxygen is removed through this system (it would attack the metal in the turbines).

This is an overall drawing of the steam system, in a phone booth in the engine room.

This is what the steam propulsion system looks like partially disassembled.

Passing through the main mess hall, serving trays are ready for distribution. There were about 3500 personnel on board when in normal operation.

A well-equipped machine shop supports operations when at sea.

Reference knots, always important to sailors, displayed in a mess area.

One bakery serves the whole ship. This is their mixing machine.

Smaller mixers use a variety of stirring devices for different recipes.

Below the waterline, the ship has layers of compartments to store fuel, water, etc. They act as part of the protection of the ship if attacked.

This ship carried nuclear weapons. Marines on board guarded the special storage spaces where nuclear weapons were stored.

Elevators and passageways support the transport of munitions from storage areas to assembly spaces to the hanger deck.

This is a special weapons storage area next to one of the elevators.

The brig had several cells for "attitude adjustment", including one for solitary confinement.

The catapult system on the Hornet is hydraulic (as opposed to steam-driven). A giant ram gets a ten-to-one mechanical advantage through these cables and pulleys. A twenty-foot ram moves the catapult shuttle over 200 feet on the flight deck.

This is an explanation of the use of the catapult system for both launch and landing. When the angled landing deck was added, a different system provided for stopping the aircraft by catching a cable with the tail hook.

The main hydraulic cylinder for the port catapult.

Pressure for the hydraulics was provided with nitrogen in these storage tanks next to the catapult.

Pressure in the catapult system was monitored here.

At the catapult control panel, a direct speed readout was provided.

This is a view along the catapult hydraulic shaft with pulleys and cables.

After viewing the lower decks with the docent and a small tour group, we went up to the flight deck. From there you can see the antenna farm on the island.

On the flight deck we asked another docent if we could tour the island. He took us to join a group already started, as these tours are started on demand. The first stop was the primary flight control area.

This is the primary flight control space (PRI-FLY) where the Air Boss runs the flight operations on and near the ship.

It takes a team to directly control all aircraft movement on and above the ship. This is their office.