(November 25, 2024) By Cadet Liam Gollier & Cadet Andrew Croom
On November 16th and 17th, 2024, Troops of Saint George Troop 319 had an amazing time aboard the U.S.S. Hornet, an inactive, World War II era aircraft carrier, docked in Alameda, California.
At 10:00 AM the troop boarded the ship and took a docent guided tour through the entire carrier. On the tour, the troop saw such rooms as the navigation room, the pilothouse, and the hanger deck, where the planes are stored. At 11:15, the tours paused, the troop looked around on the hanger deck, and then headed up to the flight deck.
On the flight deck, the troop ate lunch, said the Rosary, and checked out the planes on display there. Then, the troop went back to the hanger deck, stopping first to check out the anti-aircraft gun. In the hanger deck, the troop looked at the various planes and models of different rockets.
When the tours started up again, the docent showed the troop more rooms like the engine room and radio central, where the codes and coding machines were kept. Then, the tours were finished and the troop had time to look around the whole ship and see places they didn’t see on the tours, such as the chapel and the stern of the ship.
Later that day by 5:00 PM, the troop boarded the carrier once again, but this time for an overnight stay, a docent led the troop to their bunking area, where they unpacked their essentials, such as sleeping bags and pillows.
The docent then led the troop to the mess deck for ‘chow,’ the Navy term for a meal, which that night consisted of chicken, mashed potatoes, Ceaser salad, garlic bread, and a chocolate -chip cookie. After chow was finished, the troop made their way to the hangar deck, the large room just below the flight deck. There they were split up into two equal groups.
After they had been divided, each group was taken on a tour of more areas of the ship, such as the anchor room, sick bay, and the ‘ready rooms’ where the pilots were briefed and debriefed on their mission.
After the tour, the troop headed to their bunking areas where they stayed for the night. At 7:00 AM the next day, the wakeup call sounded, and the troop was led to the mess deck for breakfast.
After they had eaten, the troop was once more assembled in the hangar deck. They were then taken on a docent guided tour of the flight deck. The docent answered all questions, and even told the visitors about his firsthand experiences abord aircraft carriers during the Vietnam War.
After the final tour ended, the troop enjoyed looking at the interesting displays of aircraft, bombs, and even a detailed full-size replica of the Apollo 11 spacecraft, as the U.S.S. Hornet was the recovery ship for both the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12.
Overall, the trip helped the Cadets to instill comradery and learn about this remarkable ship and the history it holds in a fun, safe environment.
