USS Hornet Haunting

The USS Hornet (CV-12) served in World War II, the Vietnam War, and recovered the Apollo 11 astronauts from the Pacific Ocean. She also holds a darker distinction: the highest suicide rate of any ship in Navy history. Now permanently moored as a museum in Alameda, California, the Hornet has become known as one of the most haunted ships in America.

History of the Ship

The Hornet was commissioned on November 29, 1943, the eighth ship to bear the name. She earned nine battle stars in World War II, participating in major campaigns including the Battle of the Philippine Sea and operations against Japan.

After the war, the Hornet was decommissioned, then recommissioned for the Vietnam War. In 1969, she recovered the Apollo 11 command module and astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins after their historic moon landing. She also recovered Apollo 12.

The Hornet was decommissioned in 1970 and sat in mothballs until 1998, when she was donated to become a museum ship in Alameda.

The Death Toll

During her service, the Hornet experienced:

• Approximately 300 deaths from combat, accidents, and suicide
• The highest suicide rate in the US Navy
• Numerous training accidents and operational fatalities
• Deaths from kamikaze attacks during World War II

The ship’s isolated environment, high-stress combat conditions, and the inherent dangers of carrier operations created a lethal environment. Young sailors died far from home, suddenly and often violently.

The Haunting

Since becoming a museum, the Hornet has been the site of extensive paranormal activity:

The Engine Room: Perhaps the most active area. Visitors and staff report footsteps, voices, and the feeling of being watched. Full-bodied apparitions have been seen. The engine room was the site of several deaths and suicides.

Sick Bay: The ship’s medical facility is haunted by what appears to be a sailor in old-fashioned uniform. Objects move. Medical equipment activates on its own.

Officer Country: The officers’ quarters have produced EVPs (electronic voice phenomena) and apparitions of men in World War II-era uniforms.

The Catapults: Shadow figures are seen on the flight deck, near where aircraft launched and crashed.

Isolation Cells: Small spaces used for disciplinary confinement produce intense feelings of dread. Some visitors cannot remain inside.

Paranormal Investigation

The Hornet has been featured on Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, and numerous other paranormal programs:

• TAPS recorded unexplained voices and temperature anomalies
• Ghost Adventures captured footage of moving objects and EVPs
• Multiple investigators have reported being touched or pushed
• Equipment malfunctions are common throughout the ship

The museum conducts overnight paranormal investigations and reports consistent activity regardless of who is investigating.

Staff Experiences

Museum employees have accumulated decades of experiences:

• A sailor in a white uniform seen throughout the ship, often walking through bulkheads
• Footsteps following staff through empty corridors
• Tools moved or hidden, then returned to original locations
• Alarms triggered with no explanation
• Clear voices when the ship is empty

Many staff believe the ship is home to numerous spirits - not just a few, but dozens or hundreds of sailors who never left their ship.

The Explanation

If any location should be haunted, it’s a warship where young men died violently over decades:

• The emotional intensity of combat
• The trauma of suicide
• The isolation from family and home
• Sudden, unexpected death
• The ship itself as the last thing they knew

The Hornet concentrated all of this into steel corridors and confined spaces that remain largely unchanged since the 1960s.

Visiting

The USS Hornet Museum offers regular tours and overnight paranormal investigation events. Visitors report experiences ranging from mild unease to intense encounters. Whether or not one believes in ghosts, the ship’s atmosphere is undeniably heavy with history and loss.

The men who served aboard her never entirely left. The USS Hornet continues her service, now as a floating monument to those who lived, died, and remain aboard.

Sources

• USS Hornet Museum - Wikipedia