USS Hornet Aircraft Carrier (Alameda, Ca June 2009)

Alameda’s haunted aircraft carrier, the USS Hornet (CV-12) is the eighth ship to carry the Hornet name, and often called the most haunted ship in United States history.  The Hornet was commissioned in 1943 at the height of WWII in the Pacific.  She quickly became one of the most highly decorated ships in the Navy.  She destroyed 1,410 Japanese aircraft and destroyed or damaged over 1,000,000 tons of enemy shipping.  Ten Hornet pilots attained “Ace in a Day” status.  She supported nearly every Pacific amphibious landing after March 1944 and struck the critical first hits in the sinking of the super battleship Yamato.  Her pilots are also credited with the first strikes against Tokyo since the 1942 Doolittle Raid.  During the cold war, the Hornet had the honor of recovering astronauts from both the Apollo 11 and 12 missions.

In her 22 years of active service, more than 300 people lost their lives aboard ship.  The majority claimed during combat, others from shipboard accidents, and others from suicide.  It has the dubious honor of having the highest suicide rate in the Navy.

Various members of California Paranormal Research have had the fortunate opportunity to investigate on the USS Hornet, including Mandy, Bud, Deborah, George and Chuck.