A Visit to the Hornet

While my dad was in town we spent a morning touring the USS Hornet, an aircraft carrier turned museum docked in Alameda. I'm always astounded by the size of an aircraft carrier, even the Hornet which is significantly smaller than today's carriers, is huge. The decks below the hangar are a maze. Some are set up as the mess, bunk, sick bay and other rooms one would find on such a ship in service and others devoted to various exhibits Navy ships and the people who served on them. The bridge and control rooms are only accessible via guided tour which proved interesting. The guide gave very detailed explanations of what happens during the launching and landing of aircraft. During World War II every takeoff and landing on a carrier was filmed for use in continually improving safety. One innovation was the angled flight deck which dramatically reduced crashes. The navigation room included a dead reckoning tracer, a sort of analog computer. A couple other tours are offered includeing one of the engine room which will have to wait for a return visit.

As an added bonus it was a beautiful clear day and the views of San Francisco from the flight deck were tremendous!