USS Hornet blog

[tbm3fan]

USS KANSAS CITY the next day for a reel of 500 ft of rope we discovered two months ago. Another heavy object needing the chain hoist. This had to travel upwards, from the well deck to the helo platform, or 4 decks. Last shot is with no flash so you can see just how dark things are inside. This Row usually has power but when we pulled up we notice the 440 cable was unplugged on the pontoon. We are pulling off a dozen of those overhead red lights for the HORNET.

[tbm3fan]

Here is a shot of ship building at it's best which I'm sure blidgepump may appreciate. We are eating lunch in the mess deck of the KANSAS CITY and look just above us to see this site. We have a supply vent on the left and exhaust vent on the right separated by 12 inches. I guess they really didn't need the fresh air in the mess deck after all.

[tbm3fan]

Larger ships you see half round pipe to direct it downwards

The king tide of Dec.13 rose to within 3 feet of the top of the pier or about 4 extra feet above normal. Ripped out 135 feet of the pier's waste line. These are two of the Hornet's CHT discharge lines now going into a temporary mobile storage tank on the pier.

[tbm3fan]

Some examples of detailing when I restore a compartment. These are things nobody else does but which always bother me. It is always the smaller items that catch my eye when I walk into a compartment and if not finished off then the compartment is not done. Two simple things like a switch cover with new screws and a restored light fixture are a must. I take this smaller stuff home with me to restore.

[tbm3fan]

Our S2 finally got it's tail repaired after being crushed when the plane was loaded onto the ship in 1999. One person was in a big hurry and didn't accurately find dead center before the crane lift.

[SlaterDoc]

Dang TBM, we need a bunch of them!



Can we enter into a little "American Picker's" haggling here?

[Gun Grape]

Here is a shot of ship building at it's best which I'm sure blidgepump may appreciate. We are eating lunch in the mess deck of the KANSAS CITY and look just above us to see this site. We have a supply vent on the left and exhaust vent on the right separated by 12 inches. I guess they really didn't need the fresh air in the mess deck after all.

It allows those delicious smells from the galley to be spread about.

[Gun Grape]

I'm looking at this picture and noticed the welded circles. Could that be original hull plate where the portholes were covered so many years ago.

Cool

[Ytlas]

I'm looking at this picture and noticed the welded circles. Could that be original hull plate where the portholes were covered so many years ago.

Cool

My guess is that the welded circles are "Sand holes." Holes are cut into the hull so that the tanks or voids behind the plate can be sandblasted and then painted. You should see similar welded holes on the Iowa class BBs.

http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/0162022.jpg

[tbm3fan]

Dang TBM, we need a bunch of them!

[ATTACH]31344[/ATTACH]

Can we enter into a little "American Picker's" haggling here?

I'm sorry to say but there are no spares of these. It seems to be used in the 40's and maybe 50's only. Two weeks ago I scoured 3 70's ships, in Suisun, and their switch covers were standard looking house covers in metal. Not one rotary switch could be found anywhere nor a blank cover which I was looking for. No doubt, when the SPERRY and NEREUS left, all those covers types went with them.

[tbm3fan]

Well the start of a New Year on the Hornet. Worked like a madman today trying to get three tasks done in 8 hours.

One, three hours finishing trim paint around doors and then priming the deck before the dark gray.

Two, trying to clean up fuel station 19 on the O2 level starboard side. Saw 1 months ago and it was a disaster in the making. So many layers of dead paint harboring moisture underneath on the deck and assorted horizontal pieces of metal. Deck ok, but a few of the horizontal pieces have been eaten through already as seen below. Divided the area into front half and back half with the entire front half, top to bottom, cleaned. The debris weighs a ton hauling it out of there. Took 2 1/4 hours and even though 53 degrees I soaked my shirt with sweat. Next week the back half.

Three, after sweeping down the O5 and O6 levels I started work on a large duct that is to be repositioned back into place on the O10 level. Needed to chip off two layers of seafoam green and white paint in order to get to the original gray before sanding and painting. That ran from 5:00pm to 7:00pm tonight. Felt good getting that much done today.

[Ytlas]

Didn't know whether to put this link here or at the "Ghost Ships" string.....

Ghostbusters aboard decommissioned U.S. Navy ship say vessel is haunted... and they have 'proof' | Mail Online

[blidgepump]

..... finally !

Confirmation that a ship is haunted with spirits! :Dancing-Banana:

I suppose a hair stylist could correctly identify with a paranormal event occurred that made the hair on the back of your neck stand up!

As for the Morse code..... :whome:

[tbm3fan]

Of all the days to go down to the ship without my camera. First, I hit the old seaplane lagoon and the America's Cup Artemis, from Sweden, is actually out in the water and not in it's hanger. A smaller, it seems 2nd catamaran, has always been in the water but the real boat is something else to see. That mast is really tall.

Next I'm on the ship walking down to Hanger 3 and see a narrow green object where the Wildcat was. It is a Cobra helicopter and John, a docent and former Cobra pilot, is explaining the helo and the mods made to it early on. Apparently this is one of the early G models to have made it to Vietnam in 1966, says John, but might be 1967. The bird is in incredibly great shape. No holes, no corrosion anywhere. It is missing the wings where TOW missiles would have been. Of course the main rotor and tail rotor are missing not to mention the gun turret. However, John tells me the group that has custody has all those parts and leads on a few others. Right now a lot of these Cobras are being crushed with 25 done in Montana, 25 in Florida, and 25 in the process in California with Cal Fire. There are some in Washington state due to be crushed and the group is looking to make a trip there to go parts hunting.

The reason the Hornet has the helicopter is because we have a Museum certificate while this group is working on theirs. I'm told there is to be a museum at Buchanan Field in Concord California. For the next two years the Cobra will be a guest of the Hornet and the group is going to restore it right there is Hanger 3 to operational status. That's right they are going to put it into the air.

Now I am trying to decide if I should do updates in this thread or start a new one dedicated to the Cobra in maybe the aviation forum. If I can get John involved then he can go into the evolution of the Cobra through the Vietnam era and maybe his experience in flying it while there.

Below how the Artemis looked if I had my camera. Next week shots on the Cobra.

[tbm3fan]

Didn't know whether to put this link here or at the "Ghost Ships" string.....

Ghostbusters aboard decommissioned U.S. Navy ship say vessel is haunted... and they have 'proof' | Mail Online

Funny. Do a search on Youtube for either USS Hornet or USS Hornet Haunted and look at all the hits you get. People are saying all kinds of numbers in regards to the Hornet losing crew members. Everyone one of them wrong. Then every noise heard by their microphones is a ghost. If you have ever spent the night on a big ship like this you can hear all kinds of noises. Some even created by me a couple of times in the very late hours as I moved around the ship exploring with a little flashlight. Since I know my way around it is easy to be a ghost which never gets caught on film...