USS HORNET   (CV-8)

• Named to commemorate six American warships which had previously borne the name. A “Hornet” is “a large strong wasp whose sting is severe.”
• Authorized under the Naval Expansion Act of 17 May 1938.

Fate: Hit and immobilized by Japanese carrier aircraft bombs and torpedoes, 26 October 1942 (Battle of the Santa Cruz islands). Two planes made suicide runs: one glanced off the stack and plunged through the flight deck; the second crashed into the port forward gun gallery. Cruiser USS Northampton (CA-26) made three attempts to take the carrier in tow, but the towing line failed and additional Japanese attacks frustrated these efforts. Hornet was hit again and had to be abandoned. Destroyers USS Mustin (DD-413) and USS Anderson (DD-411) tried to scuttle her with torpedoes and 5″ gunfire, but had to retire as enemy forces closed in. Hornet was finally scuttled by Japanese destroyers Makigumo and Akigumo with four 24″ torpedoes, early on 27 October. In all, she took two planes, 7-8 bombs, 16 torpedoes and an unknown number of 5″ shells.One hundred and eleven of her crew were lost with the ship and remain on active duty.The wreckage of Hornet was found in January 2019 at the bottom of the South Pacific Ocean, around the Solomon Islands, some 17,500 feet (5,334 meters) below the surface, by the late Paul G. Allen’s R/V Petrel. (Read “Final Resting Place of USS Hornet CV-8 Located in South Pacific,” at the US Navy website.)

Specifications
(As built, 1941)
Displacement: 19,900 tons standard; 25,600 tons full load
Dimensions (wl): 761′ x 83.25′ x 28′ (full load)  /  232 x 25.4 x 8.5 (full load) meters
Dimensions (max.): 824.75′ x 114′  /  251.4 x 34.7 meters
Armor: 4″-2.5″ belt; 60 lbs protective deck(s); 4″ bulkheads; 4″ (side)-2″ (top) conning tower; 4″ (side) over steering gear
Power plant: 9 boilers (400 psi); steam turbines; 4 shafts; 120,000 shp
Speed: 32.5 knots
Endurance (design): 12,500 nautical miles @ 15 knots
Armament: 8 single 5″/38 gun mounts; 4 quad 1.1″/75 machine gun mounts; 24 .50-cal machine guns
Aircraft: 90+
Aviation facilities: 3 elevators; 2 flight-deck and 1 hangar-deck hydraulic catapults
Crew: 2,919 (ship’s company + air wing) (wartime figure)

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