The Doolittle Raid and the Pacific Remembered April 17, 2010

The USS Hornet Museum will commemorate the “Doolittle Raid” with a Living Ship Day demonstration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 17, onboard the historic aircraft carrier Hornet CVS-12 berthed at 707 W Hornet Ave, Pier 3, in Alameda, CA.

Museum admission is $14 for adults and $6 for children 5-17. There is ample free parking. For information about the event, call (510) 521-8448 or visit www.hornetevents.com.

“Doolittle’s Raiders” were an elite group of airmen who executed a historic, daytime air raid against Tokyo in WWII and were led by legendary pilot Lt. Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, USAAF, who was born in Alameda.

In honor of the extraordinary men who risked their lives in the Doolittle Raid, the USS Hornet CVS-12 will come to life as an operating aircraft carrier. Visitors will enjoy the sights and sounds of naval aviation while witnessing simulated flight operations as aircraft are lifted to the flight deck and placed into launch position. Visitors can also participate in mission briefings, meet former crew, and sit in the cockpit of a fighter jet.

A special program at 1 p.m. will feature Oral Moore, rear seat gunner onboard the USS Hornet CV-8 the night the B-25 bombers were loaded onto the ship, and Andy Popenoe, historian of the Jimmy Doolittle Air and Space Museum located at Travis AFB.

Oral Moore joined the Navy when he was 18 years old. He became a rear seat gunner and was part of the original crew assigned to USS Hornet CV-8 in 1940. In April 1942, he watched as the B-25’s were loaded on board Hornet and then watched as Colonel Jimmy Doolittle and his air crew took off on their secret mission. Although he never met Colonel Doolittle, he became friendly with some of the crew. On October 27, 1942, Moore flew off Hornet the day it was sunk during the Battle of Santa Cruz and safely landed on the USS Enterprise. He was commissioned in 1946 to serve one year on the USS Boxer. In 1947 he was assigned to inactive duty and went on to get his degree as a civil engineer.

Andy Popenoe served 17 years in the Air Force with 4.5 years in Vietnam participating in 26 of the 27 total campaigns, flying 174 combat missions, and has numerous decorations. He retired from Travis Air Force Base as a command chief master sergeant. After leaving the Air Force, he went on to become president and CEO of ABI, a marine hardware company. He has served for 28 years on the board of directors of Travis Credit Union, the 11th largest in California, and is an avid historian on aviation history in America. He has lived with his family in Fairfield since 1974.

The Doolittle Raid
The primary significance of having the Doolittle Raid commemoration on the USS Hornet CVS-12 at Alameda Point is two-fold: 1) The current Hornet’s predecessor ship, Hornet CV-8, launched this daring raid, and 2) the flight personnel and their equipment were loaded aboard Hornet CV-8 at Alameda Point, directly adjacent to where the USS Hornet museum is now located.

On April 1, 1942, sixteen B-25 bombers, their five-man volunteer crews, and maintenance personnel were loaded onto the USS Hornet CV-8 at Alameda Naval Air Station. The next day, the Hornet and her escorts sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge for their date with destiny. On April 18, the Raiders flew 650 miles from their launch point in the Pacific, dropped their bombs on several Japanese cities and flew on to China where many crash landed.
Although the raid did little military damage, the Japanese government was deeply embarrassed. The bombing was a tremendous psychological victory for America, still reeling from the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese military's hasty response was to attack Midway Island, which proved disastrous when their Navy was soundly defeated.

About the USS Hornet Museum
The Aircraft Carrier Hornet Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to inspiring people of all ages to experience naval history, science, and space technology first-hand. The ship is open to the public daily from 10:00am to 5:00pm. Regular admission is $6-$14 and there is ample free parking across from the pier.

Included in the numerous exhibits on the USS Hornet are 16 Navy and Marine aircraft and spacecraft, ranging from WWII to the modern era -- get a close-up look at a TBM Avenger, an F-14 Tomcat, and an authentic Apollo space capsule. Ship compartments open for public touring include Combat Information Center, Captain’s Bridge, Flight Deck Control, Hangar Deck, Pilot Ready Rooms, Ship’s Hospital, Torpedo Shop, Officers’ Quarters, and the newly open Post Office. Living Ship Day demonstrations are held on the third Saturday of most months.

A registered State and National Historic Landmark, the ship is permanently berthed at 707 W. Hornet Avenue, Pier 3 in Alameda, CA. For more information, visit www.uss-hornet.org or call (510) 521-8448.