The USS Hornet, built in 1943, was an aircraft carrier that served in WWII and was also used as the recovery ship for the Apollo 11 and 12. More than 300 crewmen lost their lives aboard this ship, some in combat, others maimed onboard by spinning propellers, sucked in by air intakes, killed in the steam room, or blown apart by explosions. She’s now a museum, permanently docked in Califonia. The spirits of dead sailors and officers have been seen wandering passages, going about their daily routines.
Hell’s Half Acre. The steam engine room in the USS Hornet was called Hell's Half Acre by the crew because it was cramped and scorchingly hot inside. One crewman was working in the area when a pipe burst. The hot steam burned him to death. Some have felt his unseen hands jerking or pushing them away from the dangerous machines.
The Kamikaze Ghost. During WWII, a Japanese kamikaze pilot missed the ship and crashed in the ocean nearby. After being captured, he was put in a holding cell where he went mad and died. It has been reported that the wails of the kamikaze pilot have been heard echoing from the depths of the ship.
The Catapult ghosts. One of the most dangerous areas the ship was the catapult used to launch airplanes off the flight deck. The heavy wire that catapults the planes has a tendency to break and can whip back at 500 miles per hour, slicing anything along its path. Through the years, there were many casualties and injuries due to this device, including men cut in half and one who was decapitated. Witnesses have seen a headless crewman pacing up and down the deck.
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29 comments:
Both of my boys have stayed overnight on the Hornet. Nothing happened either time.
This is all new info !
Great post ! Lexa :)
Enjoying reading the series.
I never heard of this aircraft carrier. It being haunted makes a lot of sense. Such horrible happenings.
Ghosts on board ship would have been even more frightening than on land, because there's nowhere to run!
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Cut in half or decapitated. That would be just horrific to witness.
I hv heard of haunted buildings, but a ship is new!
Such horrific deaths!
I wonder if their ghosts looked like their everyday or mutilated selves.
Oh my, so many were killed due to accidents. I hope that ships are built today with more safety implemented.
Military ships are dangerous places, it doesn't surprise me to hear at least one is haunted.
What a horrible way to die with the catapult. I can't imagine being in a plane and taking off that way-very scary. I wonder if Niagara On The Lake will be here. I live nearby and they claim they are the most haunted town in North America-it seems every business, inn, cematary, fort and home has a ghost
This post made me ponder over all the things, all the people, the suffering, the drama, all the events of this world that I don't have the slightest knowledge of.
Whoever thought manning the boat was a "safe" job can rethink that one. That catapult deck sounds flat-out horrifying.
I've often thought conditions onboard must have been horrendous, yet, Hollywood seldom shows that part. Thanks for sharing this, Lexa. Fascinating. My father served on the Anthabasca during the war and he wouldn't talk about it.
I've been aboard a similar boat. The cramped spaces below were suffocating and eerie as it was. Mix in a few ghosts=terrified! I remember tripping on the big cable up on the deck:) Ouch.
The Hornet is a perfect name for something haunted. This is the first time I've heard about a haunted carrier.
Your posts are all really interesting. It's incredible the number of ghost stories that exist.
I especially like the hot steam guardian ghost. =)
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Never heard of this one before, but definitely sounds interesting...the kamikaze ghost would be very disturbing.
No wonder the place is haunted. Getting sliced in half by a catapult has to be one of the most horrific ways to die.
All in all, that whole decapitation thing creeps me out. *shudder*
Wow, someone needs to write a story and set it on this ship. What a great book that would be!
OMG! I hate using that term, that no other fits right now – I am so glad I found your blog. I love visiting haunted houses and hotels, etc. this is a great post, and you have a wonderful theme. My husband and I visited a jailhouse bed and breakfasts a while back, and it's said to be haunted. So here we were in this room that supposed to be visited by a ghost now and then, and my husband was thinking it would be a romantic weekend. Um. Did he really think I get romantic when I knew somebody was watching us? We may not be a will to see them, but I was sure they could see us, and I wore my pajamas with my coat over them all night. :-) Didn't sleep a wink. I didn't see a ghost, but if he was there, I bet he got a chuckle out of the lack of romance my husband found for the weekend. ;-)
Deb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com
I'm familiar with this ship but didn't know it was said to be haunted.
Ouch, those wire stories made me wince. Cut in half? What a horrible way to go! I wonder nowadays if there's that many difficulties w/our modern ships? Hopefully not!
How much violence we justify in the name of our nations-- that catapult thing should never have been made!
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What very cool places.. I actually have seen a ghost hunters show on the hornet... I'm sure of it. Great post.
Haunted ship - that is a whole new level of creepy.
While your stories are interesting, I was most amazed that Andrews boys spent the night on the ship. That last story of decapitation accidents was pretty sad and creepy.
Headless ghosts are the worst, I think.
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