Who was the captain of the USS Hornet during the Doolittle Raid?

Captain Marc Mitscher
The commanding officer of Hornet, Captain Marc Mitscher, was in overall command of Task Force 18 as it steamed west. The escort ships included cruisers Nashville and Vincennes, fleet oiler Cimarron, and destroyers Gwin, Meredith, Grayson and Monssen.

How many crew members were on board when the USS Hornet sunk?

At 01:35 on 27 October, Hornet was finally sunk with the loss of 140 of her 2,200 sailors; 21 aircraft went down with the ship.

How many Hornet aircraft carriers were there?

A total of 26 Esssex-class carriers were ordered by the U.S. Navy between February 1940 and June 1943 and 24 were completed. This was the largest class of carriers ever built by the United States and over half, including USS Hornet (CV-12), served as part of the Pacific Fleet during World War II.

Are there 2 USS Hornets?

Eight ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Hornet, after the stinging insect: USS Hornet (CV-12) was originally named Kearsarge, but renamed in honor of CV-8 and active through the rest of World War II; she is preserved as a museum ship in Alameda, California.

Are any of the Doolittle Raiders still alive?

San Antonio, Texas, U.S. Richard Eugene Cole (September 7, 1915 – April 9, 2019) was a United States Air Force colonel. He later served as operations advisor to the Venezuelan Air Force from 1959 to 1962. He retired from the Air Force in 1966 and became the last living Doolittle Raider in 2016.

What happened to Jimmy Doolittle?

He died by suicide in 1958, aged 38. At the time of his death, James Jr. was a Major and commander of the 524th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, piloting the F-101 Voodoo.

Was the USS Hornet at Midway?

Hornet was a World War II-era aircraft carrier commissioned in 1941 that played a decisive role in the pivotal Battle of Midway. In April 1942, the Doolittle Raid was launched from the deck of the Hornet.

Is the USS Hornet still in service?

Hornet was decommissioned in 1970. She was eventually designated as both a National Historic Landmark and a California Historical Landmark, and she opened to the public as the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda, California, in 1998.

Has a battleship ever sunk a carrier?

Only a few dozen would survive one of the most controversial naval battles of World War II—perhaps the only time battleships single handedly took out an aircraft carrier. …

Was Yorktown sunk?

The aircraft carrier USS Yorktown was sunk, and an entire squadron of 15 torpedo planes was shot down. Only one man, Ens. George Gay, survived the doomed attack of Torpedo Squadron 8. Several American pilots downed in the battle were picked up by the Japanese navy.

What was the name of Jimmy Doolittle’s plane?

The first bomber to hit Japan after Pearl Harbor, the B-25 Mitchell was found in every theater of the war and was a rugged, multipurpose bomber beloved by her aircrew for its survivability and ease to fly.

How did Doolittle get out of China?

Three raiders died trying to reach China. Five were interned in Soviet Union for about one year. Among the eight captured and tortured by the Japanese forces, three were executed and one died in captivity. All the remaining 64 raiders including Doolittle and Cole were rescued by the Chinese and smuggled out to safety.

What class of aircraft carrier is the USS Hornet?

USS Hornet (CV-8) was a Yorktown -class aircraft carrier that entered service with the U.S. Navy in 1941. The last ship of its class, Hornet earned famed in April 1942 when Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle launched his famed raid on Japan from the carrier’s deck. Less than two months later,…

What happened to the USS Hornet in World War II?

At the height of World War II in the Pacific, heavy aircraft carriers played a significant role in the composition of the U.S. Navy. One of the carriers that became famous at the beginning of the war was the USS Hornet (CV-8). After its destruction in 1942, a new Essex-class aircraft carrier (CV-12) inherited the name Hornet.

Where did the USS Hornet train before Pearl Harbor?

During the period before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hornet trained out of Norfolk. A hint of a future mission occurred on 2 February 1942, when Hornet departed Norfolk with two Army Air Forces B-25 Mitchell medium bombers on deck. Once at sea, the planes were launched to the surprise and amazement of Hornet ‘ s crew.

What is the difference between the USS Hornet CV-8 and CV-12?

USS Hornet CV-8 was a Yorktown-class aircraft carrier. She launched the famed Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in 1942 in response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. USS Hornet CV-12 is one of the 24 legendary Essex-class aircraft carriers constructed during and after World War II.