USS Hornet blog

[tbm3fan]

Here are a couple of shots from the O4 Level in the Island. This is the foward trunk as the aft trunk has no compartments on that level. We have Radar Room #1, Navigation Office which can be a spare office for me, and Radar Room #2. Both radar rooms were never cannibalized by the Navy during mothball. Rarely, well never open. Great thing about these spaces was that all they needed was a good sweeping.

Radar #1

[tbm3fan]

Radar #1

[tbm3fan]

Nav Office next around

[tbm3fan]

Radar #2

[tbm3fan]

Two stories from Wednesday dealing with rough waters.

First from the Yorktown helmsman in the 60's.

He was on the 2-6pm watch on the bridge when out of nowhere the bridge crew saw this extremely large rouge wave coming towards them. The wave crashed into the front of the ship and went over the bridge level. He said no one was at the front of the flight deck at the time. When his watch finished he went down to mess. Sailors down there then asked him about why the ship seemed to stand still for a second as they had no clue.

Second from Paul the FDR plane handler 1972-76.

The ship is in a heavy storm. This class wasn't great in storms and were called wet ships. During the storm the O1 and O2 Gallery levels actually flooded enough for them to catch fish inside. While this is going on very large waves hit the starboard side of the ship. Very large and heavy division doors are used to close off the opening to the plane elevator from the weather. These waves were so strong that they lifted a door off it's tracks and caused it to fall into the hanger. The unfortunate part is that there were 22 sailors on the other side who were all crushed to death. More unfortunate the weather, being so severe, prevented the removal of the door until the ship could get to port a few days later. You cannot find anything about this, on a web search, except hearing it from a crew member who was there.

Last note the Czech couple told me they had visited the Midway twice from their country! Wow. This was their first to the Hornet. He said they liked seeing the Midway but he truly enjoyed seeing the Hornet, the individual areas toured and the docent stories and information.

[jimmykg]

Seeing those pics of compartments in the island made me remember about a story I'm gonna tell you all. I worked in Main Control (forward engine room). On the starboard side about the middle of the engine room in the overhead is a entrance to a shaft that goes all the way into the island. I don't remember what level but it's way up there. Anyway I climbed all the way up as high as I could go and saw a little light coming out a hole where a electrical cable went through. I was able to look through it and saw what I think was a Radioman at a desk. In my lowest voice I said HEH. The guy looked around and there was no one around. I waited a few seconds and did it again, same reaction from the guy. After a few more seconds I said over here. The guy is going crazy now. He's looking all around and I said to your right, look for a light coming through a hole where a cable comes through. I shined my flashlite through the hole and he finally see's it. He says what's on the other side of the balkhead. I told him I came all the way from the forward engine room. He says BS. I finally convinced him it's the truth. So my mission for you TBM is to go do the same thing, it will amaze you. And by the way KUDOS for all the work you do. You da man.

[DonBelt]

Looks like a TWT in the photos above?

[tbm3fan]

Seeing those pics of compartments in the island made me remember about a story I'm gonna tell you all. I worked in Main Control (forward engine room). On the starboard side about the middle of the engine room in the overhead is a entrance to a shaft that goes all the way into the island. I don't remember what level but it's way up there. Anyway I climbed all the way up as high as I could go and saw a little light coming out a hole where a electrical cable went through. I was able to look through it and saw what I think was a Radioman at a desk. In my lowest voice I said HEH. The guy looked around and there was no one around. I waited a few seconds and did it again, same reaction from the guy. After a few more seconds I said over here. The guy is going crazy now. He's looking all around and I said to your right, look for a light coming through a hole where a cable comes through. I shined my flashlite through the hole and he finally see's it. He says what's on the other side of the balkhead. I told him I came all the way from the forward engine room. He says BS. I finally convinced him it's the truth. So my mission for you TBM is to go do the same thing, it will amaze you. And by the way KUDOS for all the work you do. You da man.

Ok, here is my idea at the moment. See my last photo up there from Radar #2. The door is to the left and then you are looking at a corner where two stout pieces of steel form two sides of a shaft. That shaft is the ammo hoist for lifting 40mm ammo, from below decks, during WWII when there was a 40mm Bofors at Nav level. That shaft ends in, I think, right in the base of our missing Fwd. Gun Control Director. I pondered this shaft for many years after seeing it in the WWII blueprints for the Island. It is in the general area of what you talk about. So I assume you climbed up rungs on the inside of the shaft. If so then I will see if I can locate the opening, you mention, and follow it to where it goes with my camera.

Above was the trunk on O4, below is Level O5 and last in the Pilot House.

Now I'll edit after looking at my ship schematic at home from WWII and ignore above. Below you have Fwd. Aux. Machinery, two Boiler Rooms in a row and then Fwd. Machinery. The compartment closest to being under the pictures above is the bulkhead between Fwd. Aux. Machinery and Boiler Room #1. Fwd. Machinery would be under the far aft end of the Island. In the schematic that is the case but it is also the larger WWII Island and not today's. There is a trunk through the decks in that schematic. My question is since you are on Deck 6 just how far did you climb? To get to the Island would mean going from Deck 6 all the way up to at least O3 Flight Deck. That is about 60-70 feet. Long way in a dark trunk.

[tbm3fan]

Anyway, I started out in Constellation (CV 64) as an Assistant Communications Officer (ACOMMO) for six months. I had 30 guys in my division and their function in life was to type messages into the teletypes that were used in those days which created paper tapes that were then fed into a machine that transmitted the little holes punched into the tapes (please God, no hanging chads!!) over whatever circuit was being used (hopefully not HF termination because that was so slow that it took hours to get all the traffic out). I look back on that now and consider how far we've come; it's really rather amazing. The way we used to do it was really pretty freaking barbaric.

The Connie came into San Francisco for Fleet Week in 2000. That was the last Fleet Week where we have seen a attack carrier. She made things interesting by launching an F-18 while moving in the Bay. After she docked, south of the Bay Bridge, she was open for tours. The line was incredibly long to get aboard. When I did I saw most people gawking at the planes and helos while a sailor describe the function. Me, I walked around the deck and the catwalk looking at the detail. Already been on the Hornet 2 years. Around the Island I noticed rusted through stuffing tubes and a sailor noticed me noticing. He asked me why I was looking and I said something about maintenance and do they need help fixing them like we do on the Hornet. Speaking of which finding extra stuffing tubes would be a god send.

[jimmykg]

The shaft I think was for running all the electrical cables from the engine room to where ever, up or down. You definitely need a flashlite to go up it. There are no exits. You will need to climb up and over a bunch of pipes and horizontal electric cables to get to the shaft. It's a iron ladder all the way up. A hat flashlite would work good. I look forward to your report.

[tbm3fan]

The shaft I think was for running all the electrical cables from the engine room to where ever, up or down. You definitely need a flashlite to go up it. There are no exits. You will need to climb up and over a bunch of pipes and horizontal electric cables to get to the shaft. It's a iron ladder all the way up. A hat flashlite would work good. I look forward to your report.

You do realize that none of us are 18 years old anymore...?

The ship also had a Fram II remodel in Jan-Feb 1965.

[jimmykg]

Well maybe the next time I get up there I'll get to go down to the engine room and see if the shaft is still there. I can still climb it. I do three story iron ladders at the sound stages in Hollywood all the time.

[tbm3fan]

Climbing an iron ladder is not a problem. Have done that going up the mast. It was your "climb over a bunch of pipes and horizontal cables" that I was talking about ;)

[jimmykg]

Yeh. I guess that's true. Benn a while since I done anything like that. I got faith in you though.

[tbm3fan]

Yeh. I guess that's true. Benn a while since I done anything like that. I got faith in you though.

I will have to tell you that our ship's electrician, a very outspoken 72 year old ex-Navy and Merchant Marine guy, was extremely doubtful about your trunk. You did say starboard side by the engine controls for turbine #1. We looked and saw nothing. I wondered about it to since that kind of trunk would destroy the water tight integrity of that engine room. The only trunk we know of is the escape trunk one deck below which exits on deck 3 where the repair locker and aid station are.

Needless to say I have to now listen to our electrician go on and on about ex-sailors memories of this and that. Yeow! Tried to tell him he just needs to roll his eyes when he hears stories and he said he doesn't do that anymore. Oook, and I actually get along with him compared to others who he thinks are clueless. Will take one more look Saturday with Tom and shoot some pictures of the area.