USS Hornet blog

**Admiral Nelson** · 24 Feb 12,, 15:15

Here are a couple:

**tbm3fan** · 24 Feb 12,, 19:22

You did well.I knew those were out there. The Card served in the Atlantic. Does anyone know where she was sunk? Saigon harbor March 1964 and then raised again. Scrapped in 1971.

The Long Island seems to have been off the west coast the first half of 1943 doing carrier quals and then transporting aircraft to the Pacific by May.

**tbm3fan** · 05 Apr 12,, 07:55

Time to catch up some. Two weeks ago the Athletic Locker, Tailor Shop and Cobbler Shop were opened after having been done for 6 months. The ensuing time was used to find items to stock the compartments with.

**tbm3fan** · 05 Apr 12,, 07:58

Cobbler Shop

**tbm3fan** · 05 Apr 12,, 07:59

Three more

**tbm3fan** · 05 Apr 12,, 08:00

Athletic Locker

**tbm3fan** · 05 Apr 12,, 08:01

Last three

**tbm3fan** · 05 Apr 12,, 08:10

I have been busy moving between three areas depending on the weather. From O5 port side to O6 Starboard Signals to O10 Level. Tried scrapping paint on O6 but the wind was so strong that I was engulfed in gray snow so went up to O10 to work inside. While on O10 the wind sounded like a flight of B-17's flying overhead as the wind whipped through the mast and radars.

Also saw that we had a film crew on board filming another "new" reality show called "Great Escape". Never heard of it but is supposed to be on this summer and they have been filming for three days. The Hornet makes something just over $100,000 in rent from this gig. Hope some of that money goes to things like paint for hanger deck and F4 Phantom.

**Admiral Nelson** · 06 Apr 12,, 13:22

Thanks for all your efforts....

That cobbler shop really does seem to be frozen in time. Was all that left lying in there from before HORNET became a museum?

**tbm3fan** · 22 Apr 12,, 06:58

Installation of 5MC speaker aft. Both of ours were missing when we got the ship but Andy was able to find two on the ships in Suisun. Two really nice new ones. Andy is our volunteer who specializes in radios and phones throughout the ship. Tom grabbing the speaker in our volunteer, since 1995, who is the all around machinist, fabricator, welder, rebuilder and with the knowledge of where everything goes and/or should be. First, need to load speaker on scissors lift through PLAT. Second, move 20 ft. back to install on bracket for said speaker.

**tbm3fan** · 22 Apr 12,, 07:06

Also turned out to be Living Ship Day where we run Elevator 1 several times during the day. We run it manually in the sense that after a full cycle up/down then we need to go from Hanger Deck (O1) down to the pump room on Deck 7 to transfer oil. The automatic system, normally in operation, has never been set up by Tom. However, on the third cycle today I had to go down to operate the transfer sequence for the last run at 4:00pm. Tom's knees were starting to ache. Hmm, maybe he get the automatic system working or ...?

See there is a big Doolittle 70th Anniversary event on May 5th. Three Raiders will be onboard, along with original CV-8 crew, some of the Chinese who helped rescue the fliers and members of the Doolittle family.

**drivinfool** · 22 Apr 12,, 15:51

Sir I would first like to thank you for all your hard work and efforts in restoring Hornet to what she once was. I am thoroughly impressed with your perfectionist ways. I am on other coast, but if I ever get back on that side of the country, I will be sure to stop by.

**tbm3fan** · 04 May 12,, 01:19

Our redone battle ribbon boards that will be going up today. Yesterday was the original plan only no one told me so I could prep the bulkheads hidden under the boards.

Been told that on Saturday both Elevator 1 and 2 need to be operational at the same time. Both are operated manually in the sense that one needs to go below decks to transfer oil in order to run a full cycle. Since Tom can only operate one I now need to be there to operate the other elevator. The elevators will be moving people up to the flight deck for the B-25 flyover. The plan is the two fly out of Oakland, go wide north of us, fly as a pair over the centerline of the flight deck at 1000 feet, then go wide one more time before flying individually over the deck. Met one of the pilots who lives in the same town my practice is in. He's about mid 70's and stores his B-25 in Merced. The third B-25 lost an engine recently. Will get pics or video.

**Admiral Nelson** · 04 May 12,, 17:58

Once again, thanks for all your work. The flyover sounds great. Can't wait to see your photos / video.

**tbm3fan** · 06 May 12,, 06:10

Link to an article on the Doolittle event.

'Doolittle Raiders' to visit Alameda's USS Hornet - ContraCostaTimes.com

Leader of WWII bombing raid on Japan remembered - seattlepi.com

and look at the back drop in many of the pictures.

A docent I know, who has a pro quality video camera filmed throughout the day. When he puts it up on youtube in the next few weeks I'll post the link.

The docent also happens to work Saturdays aboard the Jeremiah O'brien in admissions. This is a ship that has been there since 1980. He told me that the last 3 Saturdays the Liberty ship had 8,000 visitors. Almost all of them tourists visiting the city. It is getting to be the high season for international tourists to visit the city and I know the numbers are huge. Imagine what a BB would have drawn on those 3 days. I sure wish the Iowa well in it's out of the way place but there can be no doubt any BB would have been the champion of admissions in San Francisco along the Embarcadero.