All Training Documents
This was unquestionably the finest Dual-Purpose gun of World War II. Originally designed to arm new destroyers being built in the 1930s, the 5″/38 (12.7 cm) wound up being used on nearly every major US warship built between 1934 and 1948 and was still being used on new construction as late as the 1960s. It was also used on many auxiliaries, merchant vessels and smaller warships as well as on US Coast Guard vessels. This standardization, unique in any navy, greatly helped the logistical supply situation of the Pacific War.
The Anti-Submarine Classification and Analysis Center is often referred to as simply “the ASCAC room.” The purpose of this room is to analyze data collected from various sources, and to transcribe the data into a format appropriate for locating, identifying, and targeting an enemy submarine.
By Ron Ucovich, Docent USS Hornet
Where is the Forward Machinery Room?
The ladder leading to the Forward Machinery Room is on Third Deck, right next to First-Class Mess. Going down, the Fourth Deck contains just a stair landing. You can’t get to any other rooms on the Fourth Deck because down here, you are below water level. If the ship were to be struck by a torpedo, only a small section of the ship would be destroyed, and since the water would not be able to pass from compartment to compartment, the ship would not be sunk by a single torpedo strike.
By Ron Ucovich, Docent USS Hornet
Everyone loves to visit our bakery. Even though this room hasn’t baked anything for about 50 years, it still has a slight scent of freshly baked bread and freshly risen dough. Visitors can’t help but smile when they enter the room.
By Ron Ucovich, Docent USS Hornet
USS Hornet and Aircraft flash cards in 3″x5″ format with 4 per 8.5″x11″ page. Print them two sided flipped on the long edge then cut into 3″x5″ cards.
Doolittle V2025-15-02 by Chuck Meyers
It is mandatory that docents when supervising visitors who are entering and exiting the F-8 Crusader exercise extreme caution and follow the established steps below. As the supervisor, be on the platform and ready to catch or grab ahold in case of lost balance or a fall. Do NOT give directions while standing on the hangar deck, be on the platform. Caution the visitor to see that his/her head does not hit the canopy overhead.
“Is this the Hornet that was sunk?”
Friday night working a HS Senior Prom there was a small group up on the bridge and one of the boys asked, “did this ship ever sink?”
After showing the Orientation movie about the Hornet, CV-8, being sunk at the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, a visitor commented that he did not know that the Japanese got so close to CA.
Actually, some ships have been raised and returned to service. In addition, Japanese did attack both California and Oregon.
By Docent Dale Berven
A file that documents the A Day in the Life of a Sailor as given by Toe-Knee Cooper retracing the memorable day the he reported aboard CVN-70 USS Carl Vinson.
When you enter the Dentistry Department, the first room on your right is reception. If you have a toothache, this is where you make an appointment to see the dentist. If you are enlisted personnel, you may get an appointment, but no matter how much pain you are in, you will have to wait until all drop-in officers are taken care of first.
By Ron Ucovich
On the Second Deck, in a room which used to be the recreation hall for senior officers, we see a diorama which depicts model of an airplane landing on a ship in 1911.
By Ron Ucovich, Docent USS Hornet
Foc’sle
Physical Structure
As built during WW 11, the Hornet’s Foc’sle was open air, with a 40 mm gun mount emplacement in
addition to all of the regular equipment associated with the space. During the 1950s, Hornet was
modernized twice to enhance her capabilities with more modern equipment as it became available. One of these enhancements was the enclosed (Hurricane) bow that she has today.
By Brian Crisp
Information about the fire room boilers.
The Hornet has two galleys on the ship; both of them located on the Third Deck. These two facilities prepare all the food for the 16,000 meals served every day. In addition to these two galleys, there are several pantries which can prepare light meals, breakfasts, or special-need snacks between meals. The Main Galley has chow line on the starboard side for a full meal, and also an express line on the port side for a quick breakfast or a hamburger or hot dog for lunch. The CPO Pantry is on Second Deck. The food for the main meals was prepared in the Third Deck Galley, and then served on Second Deck, but breakfasts and light meals could also be prepared in the Second-Deck Pantry.
El Hornet cuenta con dos cocinas, ambas ubicadas en la Tercera Cubierta. Estas instalaciones preparan los alimentos para las 16.000 comidas que se sirven diariamente. Además de estas dos cocinas, hay varias despensas que pueden preparar comidas ligeras, desayunos o refrigerios especiales entre comidas. La Cocina Principal tiene una línea de comida a estribor para una comida completa, y también una línea exprés a babor para un desayuno rápido o una hamburguesa o un perrito caliente para el almuerzo. La Despensa del Oficial de Primera Clase se encuentra en la Segunda Cubierta. La comida para las comidas principales se preparaba en la Cocina de la Tercera Cubierta y luego se servía en la Segunda Cubierta, pero los desayunos y las comidas ligeras también se podían preparar en la Despensa de la Segunda Cubierta.
Before the invention of the compass, early sailors could look for the North Star (Polaris), and by knowing which way was north, they were able to calculate their heading.
By Ron Ucovich
Since becoming a docent for CVS-12 USS Hornet, I’ve encountered some docents with genuine fear of laser pointers. One docent’s reaction was so visceral that it actually struck me as PTSD. I decided to open a dialog and attempt to discover what the concern was for using the tool that I was blindly carrying in my pocket daily. Pun intended, hopefully not insensitive.
By Toe-Knee Cooper
Descriptions of the various Living Quarters around the USS Hornet.
By Ron Ucovich, Docent USS Hornet
USS HORNET (CVS 12) was designated a National Historic Landmark in December 1991 based on her role in the Pacific Theatre during World War II and for recovery of the Apollo 11 command module in 1969.
Hornet had massive amounts of communication capability and some of that is obvious in Radio Central – also called the “radio shack”. In fact, there are at least 14 spaces devoted entirely to radio equipment.
By Chuck Meyers, Docent USS Hornet
Radio Frequencies used by USS Hornet staff.
A Stoof is the Navy’s first ASW aircraft designed specifically to aid in detecting, targeting, and attacking submarines. Its proper name is Tracker, but its naval designation is S-2F, which, when read out loud, is pronounced Stoof.
By Ron Ucovich, Docent USS Hornet
The first thing people ask is, “Why does the Navy call a hospital a Sick Bay?” In navigational terms, the word bay refers to an inlet of the sea, as in San Francisco Bay, but in architectural terms it refers to a niche or nook built off to the side, as in storage bay or bay window. Our hangar deck is divided into three sections, and each one is called a Hangar Bay. You may have also heard the term Med Bay, but that term was never used by our Navy. It was created in Hollywood during the 1960s when the TV show Star Trek was popular. You may recall Dr. McCoy yelling to Captain Kirk, “We need to get this guy to Med Bay right away, or he is going to die within 2 minutes and 15 seconds!”
By Ron Ucovich
What is a special weapon?
In the Navy, a special weapon is also called a tactical nuclear weapon, which is a weapon designed for a specific military purpose, for example, to destroy a submarine. A special weapon should not be confused with a strategic nuclear weapon, which is designed to destroy military bases, arms industries, or even entire cities.
By Ron Ucovich
Who first discovered a method to manipulate electricity?
In 1752, a Philadelphian named Benjamin Franklin discovered a way to manipulate electricity. Mr. Franklin flew a kite carrying a metal wire from the ground up to a storm cloud. The bottom end of the wire ran to the ground. In one hand, Mr. Franklin held a Leyden jar, (primitive form of dry-cell battery). In the other hand, he held an iron key that was attached to the metal wire. The key was to tap off some electricity coming from the storm cloud, and direct it into the Leyden jar. The key was wrapped in a heavy handkerchief to insulate his hand from the key. To see if the experiment was working, he touched the iron key with the knuckle of his hand, and when he felt a tingle on his knuckle, he knew that he had discovered a way to capture electricity and to store it in a Leyden jar for future experiments.
By Ron Ucovich
This program focuses on thermodynamics, states of matter, and how each is vital to the production of fresh water aboard the Hornet. Students will observe various objects in a bell jar and hypothesize about what occurred as a result of changing air pressure. The described demonstration is appropriate for students elementary through high school, and allows them to connect their findings to a real-world application.
From the USS Hornet Museum Education Department Sue Renner, Alissa Doyle, rev. May 2018
On May 26, 1954 the USS Bennington suffered an explosion which claimed the lives of over 100 men and officers. This was the second worst ship disaster not involving enemy action at the time.
by Richard S. Pope, USS Bennington October 1992
What started as a routine day for the USS Bennington quickly turned into a nightmare: Explosions and fires killed 102 in one of the worst peacetime disasters in Navy history.
by Christopher Edwards January 2011
The explosion was caused by a failure of the boiler tubing while the 27,000-ton carrier was on a shakedown cruise off the southeastern part of Cuba.
By Joe Pires 08-02-1999
As an attack aircraft carrier of the United States Navy the U.S.S. Hornet provides mobile base facilities for the effective employment of the military potential of embarked aircraft squadrons and detachments.
A file that documents the Engine Room Tour as given by Toe-Knee Cooper tracing the water through the ship starting with a view of the bay > Forward Aux Machinery Room > Fire Room #2 > Forward Engine Room.