The US Naval History Podcast features the highlights of our naval history, from John Paul Jones' raids on Scotland to the navy's finest hours in WWII, and beyond to the Cold War and world today. Support the show, get transcripts, and more: usnavalhistory.com
https://www.usnavalhistory.com/#/portal/signup
The USS Hornet (CV-8): The Doolittle Raid, Midway, and Guadacanal
The USS Hornet was resting upright on the ocean floor 17,500 feet deep. It was mostly intactwith SBD Dauntless dive-bombers, TBD Devastator torpedo bombers and F4F Wildcat fighters scattered on the sea bed in concentric circles around the wreck.
It had been there for more than 77 years, yet the wooden deck was still intact, minus bomb damage. The AA guns were still pointing up, as if still fending off Japanese "Val" dive bombers.
This episode tells the story of the USS Hornet, told in part by the men who served aboard her in the ship’s less than two years of service before sinking beneath the waves, lost for 77 years.
She was the carrier to launch the Doolittle Raid against Japan. She had fought at Midway and at Guadalcanal. Her planes had sunk half the Japanese carrier fleet, and she had been hit more than two dozen times. This is her story.
Follow me on X: @USNavyPodcast Follow me on IG: @USNavyPodcast Email me at: usnavalhistorypodcast@gmail.com
Nathan Drescher's Battlegrounds+ Newsletter: https://battlegroundsplus.substack.com/