USS Hornet and Other Haunts The USS Hornet was a proud ship. She was a carrier of the fleet. Today it is said she is the most haunted ship in the world. The eighth Hornet (CV-12) was launched 30 August 1943 by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia. It was sponsored by Mrs. Frank M. Knox, wife of the Secretary of the Navy; and commissioned 29 November 1943, Captain Miles M. Browning in command. The Hornet was involved in many fierce sea battles starting in 1944. Some of them included raids on Tinian and Saipan, and the Battle of The Philippine Sea. Hornet again departed for full-scale aerial assaults on Tokyo, then supported the amphibious landing assault on Iwo Jima 19-20 February 1945. Hornet helped cover the evacuation of Vietnamese from the Communist controlled north to freedom in South Vietnam, then ranged from Japan to Formosa, Okinawa, and the Philippines in readiness training with the 7th fleet. She returned to San Diego 10 December 1965 and entered the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard the following month for conversion that included a hurricane bow and the installation of an angled flight deck which permits the simultaneous launching and recovery of aircraft. In the following years, Hornet was regularly deployed to the 7th fleet for operations ranging from the coast of South Vietnam, to the shores of Japan. Hornet was the recovery carrier for the Apollo 11 moon mission during which astronauts Neil Armstrong, and Edwin Aldrin Jr., landed on and walked on the moon in July 1969. Hornet was decommissioned 26 June 1970. Over 300 people lost their lives on this ship over the many years she was in service. Today the ship is docked at Alameda, California and is a museum. There are many reports by visitors of spectral sailors walking the decks and disappearing, of doors opening and closing without anyone being visible and voices of nonexistent people. The ghost of Adm. Joseph James Clark, who commanded the carrier in the war is said to have been seen by many people. The funny part of this story is that people who work with the ship are reporting more ghosts than ever. Some say it is almost as if the ship as become a focal point for hauntings. An electrician named Derek Lyon-McKeil was interviewed by Naval History Magazine and here is what he had to say: "We'd all just bunked down, and we had a rule. No exploring. All of a sudden, I heard this banging noise like someone was opening the hatches who shouldn't have been. Peter Clayton, our supervisor, came charging around, saying, "Okay, who's sneaking around opening hatches?" We realized that everyone in the group was there. As we were all standing there staring at each other, we heard it again. At that point, we were pretty secure. It couldn't have been anyone who'd gotten aboard." Some of the tour guides state that they can feel a presence every time they go on the ship, but that the ghosts are friendly. The Hornet has even made it to TV. There have been several shows about hauntings involving the Hornet including one on MTV which was part of the FEAR series. Does the fact that everyone has their eye on the Hornet add to the haunting legend? Many experts seem to think this is the case. This ship is sometimes known as the "Grey Ghost", but don't read too much into this as the USS Lexington is known as the 'Blue Ghost". One hapless tourist was using the rest room and reported being slapped on the back of the head, but no one was there. Another reported seeing sailors walking down stairs and just disappearing. Ann Golemac, a clairvoyant, went aboard the ship and reported that she felt the presence of spirits. Well if you have nothing to do some day, and live in the California area, why not take a look at the Hornet, you never know who you might meet. What is it about warships or even ships which ferried a lot of people? Some of the most haunted ships in history seem to fit into this category. Take for example another warship from World War II, the North Carolina. It is a battleship which has become a museum, and is stationed at Wilmington, North Carolina. The battleship has gained the reputation of become one of the most haunted ships in the world. There have been reports of a sailor on the ship which people see working on the ship, but when he was checked on, they were told no such sailor was assigned. This seems to happen a lot on these ships when they are turned into museums. The sailor has been seen opening and closing hatches, whispering and turning on different electrical systems. He also seems to be the age a lot of sailors would have been in World War II that is in his early twenties. As this battleship was in many battles it seems to be a miracle it only had ten casualties. The most famous haunted liner is no doubt the Queen Mary. The Queen Mary is a ship which ferried hundreds of thousands of people across the ocean. The ship has been said to be a place where at least 49 deaths have taken place and probably more. It is interesting to note more people died on the Queen Mary than on the battleship North Carolina. The ship has been responsible for more deaths however. In World War II the ship struck a British ship named HMS Curacoa. At the time the Queen Mary was carrying 20,000 American troops. The Curacoa was cut in half and only 99 people survived out of a crew of 338. Could this be another reason for all the hauntings being reported on the Queen Mary? One of the ghosts is said to be a man who worked in the engine room and supposedly is still there. It is said one of the more active areas on the ship is by the pool. Quite a few people have reported hearing voices and seeing apparitions there. Throughout history there have been many ships which were considered ghost ships. Some of these ships are seen and then disappear such as the Flying Dutchman. No doubt some unexplained tragedies have contributed to the ghost stories. One of the most famous of these ships is the Mary Celeste from 1872. The ship was found intact and the cargo untouched and yet the entire crew and passengers were missing without a trace. Nothing was ever found to explain what happened.
|
