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USS Hornet CV-12 (WWII)

Ships named Hornet have a very illustrious history in the United States Navy. The first was built in 1775 by the Continental Navy for use in the Revolutionary War. The other of the two ships built was called the Wasp. In 1805 the second Hornet was involved in a one hour gun battle and then landed Marines on the shores of Tripoli. The USS Hornet CV-12 was named for a ship that had been sunk less than a year before it set sail. It was originally named the USS Kearsarge and was contracted to be built with the Newport News Shipbuilding Company in Newport News, Virginia. You can still see the name Kearsarge stamped into her keel plate. She is the eighth Navy ship to have been graced with the name ‘Hornet'.

An Essex class aircraft carrier, she weighs in excess of 27 thousand tons. She measures 872 feet in overall length and could travel at speeds of about 33 knots. Her propulsion system consists of eight boilers and four propellers. She had a range of over twenty thousand nautical miles at fifteen knots. Her crew consisted of 3,448 officers and enlisted men. She could carry up to 100 aircraft and had three elevators to assist with moving the planes from lower births to the fight deck. Her armaments consisted of 4 twin 5 inch 38 caliber guns, four single 5 inch 38 caliber guns, eight quadruple 40mm 56 caliber guns and 46 single 20mm 78 caliber guns. She set sail in November of 1943.

The carrier spent sixteen continuous months in the forward combat areas of the Pacific and was often less than 40 miles distant from Japanese home islands. She was a part of the Fast Carrier Attack Force. The first mission she and her crew took part in involved lending air support for the invasion of the beaches of New Guinea. Then, the crew prepared for massive aerial raids against the Japanese bases in the Caroline Islands and lent support to the amphibious raids against the Marianas Islands.

From June 11 to June 16, 1944, the Hornet sent air raids against bases and strategic targets on several different islands, including Saipan, Tinian, Rota, Guam, Iwo and Chichi Jima. News came in about the Japanese First Mobile Fleet headed through the Philippine Sea trying to reach Saipan. The carrier joined up with the rest of the Fast Carrier Task Force to stop them. On June 19, 1944, the Battle of the Philippine Sea began as the Hornet sent its attack aircraft to destroy as many of the land based enemy aircraft as it could before the enemy got close enough to join the battle. Nearly every enemy aircraft was shot down that day. An enemy Admiral's own log from that day states that only 35 of their aircraft were operational, out of the 430 planes that they had started the day with.

From that point until June of 1945, the Hornet continued to play a crucial role in the war. Raids were sent against various islands in the Philippines. There were even several attacks directly on Tokyo and the industrial plains near there. As attacks against Okinawa were gathering strength, the Hornet was involved in supporting the amphibious attacks. In April of 1945, the Hornet lent its strength in the attack and subsequent sinking of on of the Japan's preeminent and most powerful battleships, the Yamato. Strangely enough, it wasn't the enemy that created the most damage to the Hornet. On June fourth and fifth, she was caught in an incredibly rough typhoon that caused about 25 foot of her flight deck to collapse. The war was over by the time repairs were completed.

Her World War II scorecard is amazing. She came under direct attack a total of 59 times, but wasn't hit once. Her record of 1,410 Japanese aircraft destroyed is only beaten by one other carrier, the USS Essex. Her attack aircraft destroyed or seriously damaged over 1.2 million tons of enemy shipping and a very large number of her pilots were ‘Aces'. Ten of them made ‘Ace in a Day' status. She shot down 72 enemy aircraft in one day and an astonishing 255 aircraft in one month. She supported every major amphibious landing made by the military after March of 1944. She earned nine battle stars and was one of only nine carriers to receive the Presidential Unit Citation.

Her career did not end after the end of World War II. She has received overhauls and updates on a couple of occasions. She was made capable of launching more advanced aircraft in the mid 1950s and then, in 1958, was turned into antisubmarine support carrier and reclassified CVS-12. She provided support to mission during the Vietnam War. She was also the carrier designated to retrieve and recover several space flights, including Apollo 11, which was the first mission that had men walking on the moon. Today, she can be found docked in Alameda, California as an historical landmark. She plays host to many tours and special events.

One of the dangerous that existed for the sailors aboard this ship didn't come from the enemy. Asbestos was used heavily in the construction of many ships, including carriers. This mineral can fall apart and create a dust that is very harmful to people, causing a few different disease, including asbestosis and mesothelioma. If you were exposed to asbestos while serving on the USS Hornet CV-12 (WWII), or have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, Asbestos.com offers a free packet with more information. Enter your contact information in the form in the right column and we'll send a copy immediately.

Aircraft Carriers Index

USS America USS Antietam CV 36 K USS Antietam CV 36 USS Badoeng Strait CVE 116 USS Bairoko CVE 115 USS Bairoko CVE 115 USS Belleau wood CVL 24 USS Bennington CV 20 USS Bon Homme Richard CVa USS Boxer CV USS Bunker CV USS Cabot CVL 28 USS Constellation CV USS Coral Sea CV USS Corregidor CVE 58 USS Sable ix USS San jacinto CVL USS Saratoga CV USS Saratoga CV3 USS Shangri La

USS Cowpens CVL 25 USS Enterprise CV 6 USS Enterprise CVN USS Essex CV 9 USS Forrestal CV USS Franklin CV 13 USS Hancock CV 19 USS Hornet CV 12 USS Hornet CV 8 USS Independence C1 USS Independence CVL 22 USS Intrepid CV 11 USS Kearsage CV 33 USS Kearsage CV USS Kitty Hawk USS Sicily CVe USS Sitkoh bay USS Tarawa CV USS Ticonderoga CV USS Valley forge CV

USS Lake Champlain CV 39 USS Langley CV 1 USS Langley CVL 27 USS Lexington CV 16 USS Lexington CV 2 USS Leyte CV 32 USS Midway CV USS Oriskany CV USS Phillipine Sea CV USS Point cruz CVE USS Princeton CV USS Princeton CVL USS Randolph CV USS Ranger CV USS Rendova USS Wasp CV 18 USS Wasp CV 7 USS Wolverine IX 64 USS Yorktown CV 10 USS Yorktown CV 5

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