USS Hornet (CV-8) Found

nbkky71

nbkky71

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Looks like Paul Allen' s R/V Petrel has found the wreckage of the USS Hornet, sunk in the Solomon Islands in 1943 Oct. 1942. She was the carrier that launched the Doolittle Raid and took part in the battle of Midway (Torpedo squadron 8)

She looks to be in fairly good shape too.

https://worldwarwings.com/breaking-first-pictures-of-uss-hornet-surface-after-ship-is-finally-found

2-hornet.jpg

5-hornet.jpg

4-hornet.jpg
 
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Despite such punishment, the hull was still in condition to allow towing from the scene of action if the tactical situation had permitted. In an attempt to sink HORNET, destroyers fired 369 rounds of 5" ammunition into the hull and a number of torpedoes. This still did not result in immediate sinking and HORNET was left "blazing furiously and in a slowly sinking condition". HORNET'S resistance to damage, as well as YORKTOWN's, exceeded reasonable expectations.

Holy mother of armored hulls.....
 
An ex-boss of mine lived on the lake in SC where the practice runs were made for Doolittle's raid. We boated out there and they showed us the target island in the middle of the lake, Bomb Island. It's still marked off limits due to potential unexploded ordanace.
The whole back story is pretty incredible.
 
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Chuckman said:
Despite such punishment, the hull was still in condition to allow towing from the scene of action if the tactical situation had permitted. In an attempt to sink HORNET, destroyers fired 369 rounds of 5" ammunition into the hull and a number of torpedoes. This still did not result in immediate sinking and HORNET was left "blazing furiously and in a slowly sinking condition". HORNET'S resistance to damage, as well as YORKTOWN's, exceeded reasonable expectations.

Holy mother of armored hulls.....
Click to expand...
Those ships were built by American Craftsmen who cared.
 
When we went down for a Cub Scouts overnight on the Yorktown, my father in law came with us because he served on a sister ship. (He was a REO on an AWAC) He gave us a grand tour. What's just as surprising about the durability of the ship was that the deck was made of wood! I don't know if the Hornet was built the same way.
 
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georgel said:
An ex-boss of mine lived on the lake in SC where the practice runs were made for Doolittle's raid. We boated out there and they showed us the target island in the middle of the lake, Bomb Island. It's still marked off limits due to potential unexploded ordanace.
The whole back story is pretty incredible.
Click to expand...


One of the bombers sank in that lake during practice. It is still there.
 
I wonder if the hoses to the water jackets on the 1.1" gun mount were reddish orange or if they have discolored over time. There's one of those mounts on the USS North Carolina but it doesn't have all the hardware.
 
On another note Kudos to the late Mr. Allen for funding these expeditions. They've found a lot of these wrecks over the past few years. I'm glad to know they're not lost forever.
 
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