December 14, 1940: The Hornet CV-8 was launched at Newport News Shipbuilding. The Hornet, a 20,000 ton Yorktown class aircraft carrier, was commissioned Oct. 20, 1941. Hornet was on her sea trials in the Atlantic in December of 1941 and was still there on Dec. 7. In February of 1942 the Hornet departed Norfolk with two US Army Air Force B-25 Mitchell bombers on board for a test of an upcoming mission.

Hornet's first combat mission would go down in the annals of history. On April 18, 1942 the Hornet, Enterprise and a cadre of support ships were six hundred miles east of Japan. On board the Hornet was Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle and sixteen B-25 bombers. They were about to take off on a secret mission. Only five months after the attack at Pearl Harbor, the USA would strike back. Doolittle's raiders bombed targets on the Japanese homeland, causing little damage but, this caused the Japanese to rethink their homeland defenses.

The Hornet would have only months left in her short life. On October 26, 1942 she was damaged by Kamikaze aircraft and torpedo dive bombers in the Battle of Santa Cruz Island. Her crew put up one hell of an effort to keep her above water but, finally she had to be abandoned. The floating hulk was torpedoed and shelled by both US and later the Japanese and only after taking hits by two Kamikaze aircraft, nine torpedoes and over four hundred 5" shells the Hornet sank on Oct. 27. One hundred and eleven of her crew perished with the ship.

USS Hornet CV-8 April 18, 1942 launching the Doolittle Raid.

USS Hornet CV-8 Photo Gallery