The USS Hornet is
an aircraft carrier with a distinguished history from World War
II through its decommissioning in 1970. It is now a museum at
Pier 3 in Alameda, in the area that was formerly the Alameda Naval
Air Station. Our pack visited the museum on January 9, 2000. We
had a great turnout, with well over 50 people making the trip.
 |
They split us into smaller groups and assigned us to docents.
These tour guides did an excellent job of giving us the facts
and history and answering all kinds of questions. It was mind-boggling
to imagine 15 people manning one of these cannons and firing
one round every 10 seconds. |
 |
The forecastle was described as being one of the most dangerous
places on the ship because of the unpredictability of the anchor
chains as they were being released. That is quite a statement,
considering the amount of jet fuel and ordinance that was being
handled in the rest of the ship. |
 |
After visiting the crew quarters, the flight deck seemed very
roomy and spacious. Trying to land an airplane there, though,
didn't seem like a very good idea. You would have to be extremely
courageous and a very good pilot to attempt something that difficult. |
 |
The hangar deck had an assortment of aircraft on display,
some very old and some just old. Most of them were representative
of the airplanes that had flown from carriers like the Hornet. |
 |
The captains's bridge, once open, is now enclosed. It must
have been an awesome responsibility to manage the operations
and lives of 3500 crew members 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
for 15 months at a time with no rest. |
After three hours most of the Scouts (and parents) were tired,
even though there were many things we had not yet seen. We returned
home having learned a lot and having had a great time with our
fellow Scouts. At the pack meeting the following week, the parent
who arranged the field trip received a thank-you certificate and
a cardboard model of an aircraft carrier, made by the Cubmaster.
Sharing outings like this really helps bring the Scouts and parents
together.
[ Historical Pack 6 | Real
Pack 6 | scoutway.net ]
