Field Trip to the USS Hornet!

The USS Hornet (CV-12), a WWII-era Essex-class aircraft carrier, is a floating museum docked in Alameda. It's only a 20-minute boat ride from the San Francisco Ferry Building.

The primary defense system for the ship was the 72 military planes it could carry. Bomber, fighter, or helicopter, each was designed to fold up between flights to conserve space.

The USS Hornet is not only famous for what it launched, but what it retrieved: The Apollo 11 command module and its three astronauts. They splashed into the Pacific after their historic mission as the first humans to walk on the moon.

Why splash land in the Pacific?

The Apollo 11 astronaut's first steps back on Earth were toward the quarantine station.

The pilots "Ready Room"

Then up the long escalator to the flight deck.

The flight deck is a dangerous place. Everybody has a job. Every job has a color.

Close-up of the right-hand side afterburner on this F-14 fighter jet.

It seemed every aircraft bore some type of artwork/mascot.

Below decks were future displays in various stages of restoration.

I took the general admission self-guided tour. The ship just seems to go on and on. For an additional charge there are docent-guided tours into areas like the captain's bridge, command and control, and the weapons/ordinance sections. At some point I will make it back to see more of this floating museum.