In January of 1945, specially-equipped warplanes conducted critical photo-reconnaissance of enemy positions at Okinawa and, in February, the attack commenced as the amphibious assault was underway to retake the island - and open a direct route to the Japanese mainland. At this time, Hornet's warplanes were already reaching Japan soil on a regular basis - proving that the enemy was no longer safe in his own backyard. The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) suffered its last final blow with the loss of IJN Yamato, the storied battleship falling victim to aerial torpedoes launched by Hornet's aircraft in a last desperate attempt for the Japanese to turn the tide at Okinawa.
Rather amazingly, despite repeatedly coming under enemy fire, USS Hornet was never directly damaged. She suffered some damage to her flight deck during a strong typhoon from June 4th-5th but enemy bombs and torpedoes could not find their mark against her - a sort of sweet revenge for the fallen of CV-8. Her airmen went on to destroy some 1,410 enemy aircraft (even an astounding 72 in one day!) and nearly 1.3 million tons of enemy shipping during her contribution to the Pacific Campaign. Her final bow in the World War was during "Operation Magic Carpet", the returning of American G.I.s back stateside by way of Hawaii and then San Francisco. On January 15th, 1947, she was decommissioned from service and placed in reserve.
Post-World War 2
USS Hornet was recommissioned for service once more on March 20th, 1951 and transited the Panama Canal to New York waters to be decommissioned (May 12th) and rebuilt under the SCB-27 modernization program as an "attack aircraft carrier". Following this work, she emerged with the new hull identifier of "CVA-12". She was recommissioned September 11th, 1953 and trials were had in Caribbean waters before the warship went on an eight-month tour of the world that included stops at Mediterranean ports, in Indian Ocean waters, and around the South China Sea. She then undertook a period of training in San Diego waters by December of 1954.
In December of 1955, she underwent a new modernization under the SCB-125 program tag which added a more modern, angled flight deck and was given a "hurricane bow". Following this, she became "CVS-12" and reclassified as an "Antisubmarine Warfare Support Carrier".
Beyond her time in the Vietnam War (1955-1975), USS Hornet became a critical contributor to the active Apollo Space Program which helped to pace the Americans ahead of the Soviets and ultimately land a man on the moon - Hornet being charged with the recovery of space capsules related to the reentry phases. The warship then faced another decommissioned, this time on June 26th, 1970, and was placed in mothballs at Puget Sound. The name was struck from the Naval Register on July 25th, 1989 but she was saved from the scrapman's torch when designated a "Historic Landmark" in 1991.
Today, she exists as a floating museum at Alameda, California - a fitting end for a fine warship. During her storied tenure, USS Hornet and her crews amassed eleven total citations and medals for service during World War 2, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War.
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