|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

USS Hornet CV-8

The USS Hornet CV8 was the seventh ship to carry that name in the history of the U.S. Navy. Her career was short-lived, only a little less than two years, but she more than made up for that in the crucial roles she played in events that took place at the beginning of World War II. This Yorktown class aircraft carrier was launched in December of 1940. It was built by Newport News Shipbuilding located in Newport News, Virginia.

The ship measured 824 feet and nine inches in overall length and the flight deck was 114 foot at its widest point. It weighed just a little under 20,000 pounds when empty and 25,600 pounds when fully loaded. Able to carry up to ninety aircraft, it had three elevators that moved the planes from the storage deck to the flight deck. It was pushed along at speeds of up to 32.5 knots by nine boilers and four propellers. Its armament consisted of eight, five inch 38 caliber guns, sixteen 1.1 inch 75 caliber automatic cannons and 24 half inch machineguns. She was crewed by 2,919 officer and enlisted men.

The Hornet and her crew spent some time before the attack on Pearl Harbor doing training maneuvers. One of her training missions involved taking aboard a couple of medium B-25 Bombers. They found that she was able to launch the bigger planes from the flight deck and they returned to the base in Norfolk, Virginia and then set out for the west coast through the Panama Canal. Once she made it to Alameda, California, the Air Force loaded sixteen of the bombers on board and, on April 2, 1942, set out on a mission to carry the bombers close enough to launch them on a bombing raid against Japan. On the way, they came across a Japanese patrol boat and sank it. There was a fear, though, that the ship had been able to make contact with Japanese forces and let them know that the attack force was on its way. It was found out later that the ship had sunk before they were able to make contact, but they had launched the bombers earlier than they intended to. The bombing raid was successful, but none of the sixteen planes made it to their landing strip.

She set out from Pearl Harbor on April thirtieth to help a couple of other ships, the Lexington CV-2 and the Yorktown CV-5, with the Battle of the Coral Sea. The battle had ended by the time the carrier arrived and so it made its way back to Hawaii. In June of 1942, the Battle of Midway took place. The Hornet's dive bombers were unable to find their targets, but fifteen torpedo bombers launched an attack against the enemy. Unfortunately, out of the thirty men that went out, only one survived. Only six planes total returned out of the 41 that had been launched against the enemy from three carriers. Their sacrifice allowed torpedo bombers from the Yorktown and the Enterprise to sink three Japanese carriers. A fourth carrier went down the next day. The carrier Yorktown was sank, though, as result of attacks from enemy planes and submarines.

On June 6, as the enemy began to retreat, the Hornet sent out more attack aircraft. With the assistance of another submarine, they managed to sink one cruiser and heavily damage another cruiser, a destroyer and several other ships. Hornet played a vital role in saving the Midway Atoll as an important base of operations for the rest of World War II. The ships that had been sunk carried many of the battle experienced Japanese carrier pilots and many of their planes. The Japanese never really recovered from the losses sustained during the Battle of Midway.

After the loss of several American ships during October of 1942, the Hornet was the only carrier left in the South Pacific. Finally, toward the end of the month, the Hornet joined the Enterprise and sailed to attack a Japanese force preparing to attack Guadalcanal. Attack aircraft from the Hornet managed to sink or destroy several carriers and a cruiser. While its planes were away, however, the Hornet was attacked by enemy dive bombers and torpedo planes. She sustained heavy damage and the signal was given to abandon ship. The Hornet refused to sink, though, and military forces attempted to sink it themselves to keep it out of the hands of enemy forces. The carrier absorbed nine U.S. torpedoes and over four hundred rounds from guns on two destroyers. The destroyers pulled back when the Japanese arrived and they finally sent the Hornet to the bottom. For its service in World War II, the Hornet received four Battle Stars.

At the time that many of the ships fighting in World War II were being built, asbestos was used heavily as an insulator. The dust from asbestos can seriously affect the health of anyone who breathes it in and many sailors often spent time in the holds of the ships, were the dust was concentrated. There are two primary results of asbestos exposure, namely asbestosis and a deadly cancer called mesothelioma.

If you were exposed to asbestos while serving on the USS Hornet CV-8, 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

Name:

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Phone Number:

Email:

Diagnosis:

Select... Mesothelioma Lung Cancer Asbestosis Severe Asbestosis Unknown

Comments:

Show Your Support

Free Wristbands
Get an Asbestos Awareness Wristband. Read More

VA Claim Help

Support Book

Cancer Support Book
Get a Free Copy of Lean on Me - Cancer Through a Carer's Eyes. Read More

In Your Area

Asbestos Exposure
Learn about asbestos exposure and legal options in your area. Read More

We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: Verify Here.