USS Hornet (CV-8) in World War II

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 carriers deck. Less than two months later, it took part in the stunning American victory at the Battle of Midway. Ordered south in the summer of 1942, Hornet commenced operations to aid Allied forces during the Battle of Guadalcanal. In September, the carrier was lost at the Battle of Santa Cruz after sustaining several bomb and torpedo hits. Its name was carried on by a new USS Hornet (CV-12) which joined the fleet in November 1943. Construction Commissioning The third and final Yorktown-class aircraft carrier, USS Hornet was ordered on March 30, 1939. Construction began at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company that September. As work progressed, World War II commenced in Europe though the United States elected to remain neutral. Launched on December 14, 1940, Hornet was sponsored by Annie Reid Knox, wife of Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox. Workers completed the ship later the following year and on October 20, 1941, Hornet was commissioned with Captain Marc A. Mitscher in command. Over the next five weeks, the carrier conducted training exercises off the Chesapeake Bay. USS Hornet (CV-8) underway in Hampton Roads, VA, October 1941. National Archives and Record Administration   World War II Begins With the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, Hornet returned to Norfolk and in January had its anti-aircraft armament substantially upgraded. Remaining in the Atlantic, the carrier conducted tests on February 2 to determine if a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber could fly from the ship. Though the crew was perplexed, the tests proved successful. On March 4, Hornet departed Norfolk with orders to sail for San Francisco, CA. Transiting the Panama Canal, the carrier arrived at Naval Air Station, Alameda on March 20. While there, sixteen U.S. Army Air Forces B-25s were loaded onto Hornets flight deck. USS Hornet (CV-8) Nation: United StatesType: Aircraft CarrierShipyard: Newport News Shipbuilding Drydock CompanyLaid Down: September 25, 1939Launched: December 14, 1940Commissioned: October 20, 1941Fate: Sunk October 26, 1942SpecificationsDisplacement: 26,932 tonsLength: 827 ft., 5 in.Beam: 114 ft.Draft: 28 ft.Propulsion: 4 Ãâ€" Parsons geared steam turbines, 9 Ãâ€" Babcock Wilcox boilers, 4 Ãâ€" shaftsSpeed: 32.5 knotsRange: 14,400 nautical miles at 15 knotsComplement: 2,919 menArmament8 Ãâ€" 5 in. dual purpose guns, 20 Ãâ€" 1.1 in., 32 Ãâ€" 20 mm anti-aircraft cannonsAircraft90 aircraft Doolittle Raid Receiving sealed orders, Mitscher put to sea on April 2 before informing the crew that the bombers, led by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Doolittle, were intended for a strike on Japan. Steaming across the Pacific, Hornet united with Vice Admiral William Halseys Task Force 16 which was centered on the carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6). With Enterprises aircraft providing cover, the combined force approached Japan. On April 18, the American force was spotted by the Japanese vessel No. 23 Nitto Maru. Though the enemy vessel was quickly destroyed by the cruiser USS Nashville, Halsey and Doolittle were concerned that it had sent a warning to Japan. B-25 takes off from USS Hornet (CV-8). National Archives Records Administration Still 170 miles short of their intended launch point, Doolittle met with Mitscher, Hornets commander, to discuss the situation. Emerging from the meeting, the two men decided to launch the bombers early. Leading the raid, Doolittle took off first at 8:20 a.m. and was followed by the rest of his men. Reaching Japan, the raiders successfully struck their targets before flying on to China. Due to the early departure, none possessed the fuel to reach their intended landing strips and all were forced to bail out or ditch. Having launched Doolittles bombers, Hornet and TF 16 immediately turned and steamed for Pearl Harbor. Midway After a brief stop in Hawaii, the two carriers departed on April 30 and moved south to support USS Yorktown (CV-5) and USS Lexington (CV-2) during the Battle of the Coral Sea. Unable to reach the area in time, they diverted towards Nauru and Banaba before returning to Pearl Harbor on May 26. As before, the time in port was short as the Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz ordered both Hornet and Enterprise to block a Japanese advance against Midway. Under the guidance of Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance, the two carriers were later joined by Yorktown. With the beginning of the Battle of Midway on June 4, all three American carriers launched strikes against the four carriers of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumos First Air Fleet. Locating the Japanese carriers, the American TBD Devastator torpedo bombers began attacking. Lacking escorts, they suffered heavily and Hornets VT-8 lost all fifteen of its aircraft. The sole survivor of the squadron was Ensign George Gay who was rescued after the battle. With the battle progressing, Hornets dive bombers failed to find the Japanese, though their compatriots from the other two carriers did with stunning results. In the course of the fighting, Yorktowns and Enterprises dive bombers succeeded in sinking all four Japanese carriers. That afternoon, Hornets aircraft attacked the supporting Japanese vessels but with little effect. Two days later, they aided in sinking the heavy cruiser Mikuma and badly damaging the heavy cruiser Mogami. Returning to port, Hornet spent much of the next two months being overhauled. This saw the carriers anti-aircraft defenses further augmented and the installation of a new radar set. Departing Pearl Harbor on August 17, Hornet sailed for the Solomon Islands to aid in the Battle of Guadalcanal. Battle of Santa Cruz Arriving in the area, Hornet supported Allied operations and in late September briefly was the only operational American carrier in the Pacific after the loss of USS Wasp (CV-7) and damage to USS Saratoga (CV-3) and Enterprise. Joined by a repaired Enterprise on October 24, Hornet moved to strike a Japanese force approaching Guadalcanal. Two days later saw the carrier engaged in the Battle of Santa Cruz. In the course of the action, Hornets aircraft inflicted severe damage on the carrier Shokaku and heavy cruiser Chikuma USS Hornet under attack during the Battle of Santa Cruz, 1942. US Naval History Heritage Command These successes were offset when Hornet was struck by three bombs and two torpedoes. On fire and dead in the water, Hornets crew began a massive damage control operation which saw the fires brought under control by 10:00 a.m. As Enterprise was also damaged, it began to withdraw from the area. In an effort to save Hornet, the carrier was taken under tow by the heavy cruiser USS Northampton. Only making five knots, the two ships came under attack from Japanese aircraft and Hornet was hit by another torpedo. Unable to save the carrier, Captain Charles P. Mason ordered abandon ship. After attempts to scuttle the burning ship failed, the destroyers USS Anderson and USS Mustin moved in and fired over 400 five-inch rounds and nine torpedoes into Hornet. Still refusing to sink, Hornet was finally finished off after midnight by four torpedoes from the Japanese destroyers Makigumo and Akigumo which had arrived in the area. The last U.S. fleet carrier lost to enemy action during the war, Hornet had only been commission one year and seven days.

The Middle Of The 16th Century - 1571 Words

The Truth: It was the middle of the 16th century in Europe, during this period of time Church and religion as a whole were the center of all life. As the Pope’s power increased in everyday life Christians began to feel as if the church was becoming corrupt. As a result reformers suggested that scripture, not the clergy, should be the basis of guidance in the lives of Christians. This was one of the first times where they began to question the authority of the Pope. In 1543, King Henry felt as if he had had enough and it was time to make a change within the Church. That meant separating from the Catholic Church and forming the Church of England. Due to the fact that he truly was the one in power, by law all citizens were obliged to join this new Church. On the contrary although many believed that a split was necessary there was a group of reformers who believed that there conflict was with a secular power dictating their spiritual life and not with the pope. 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Biodiversity Outline Free Essays

I. Introduction a. Over the past two decades, strong scientific evidence has emerged showing that loss of the world’s biological diversity reduces the productivity and sustainability of natural ecosystems and decreases their ability to provide society with goods and services like food, wood, fodder, fertile soils, and protection from pests and disease. We will write a custom essay sample on Biodiversity Outline or any similar topic only for you Order Now II. Body a. [Amphibians] No group of animals has a higher rate of endangerment than amphibians. Scientists estimate that a third or more of all the roughly 6,300 known species of amphibians are at risk of extinction i. The current amphibian extinction rate may range from 25,039 to 45,474 times the background extinction rate ii. Frogs, toads, and salamanders are disappearing because of habitat loss, water and air pollution, climate change and disease. iii. Because of their sensitivity to environmental changes, vanishing amphibians should be viewed as the canary in the global coal mine, signaling subtle yet radical ecosystem changes that could ultimately claim many other species, including humans. b. [Birds] Birds occur in nearly every habitat on the planet and are often the most visible and familiar wildlife to people across the globe. As such, they provide an important bellwether for tracking changes to the biosphere. Declining bird populations across most to all habitats confirm that profound changes are occurring on our planet in response to human activities. i. A 2009 report on the state of birds in the United States found that 251 (31 percent) of the 800 species in the country are of conservation concern. ii. Globally, BirdLife International estimates that 12 percent of known 9,865 bird species are now considered threatened, with 192 species, or 2 percent, facing an â€Å"extremely high risk† of extinction in the wild — two more species than in 2008. ii. Habitat loss and degradation have caused most of the bird declines, but the impacts of invasive species and capture by collectors play a big role, too. c. [Fish]Increasing demand for water, the damming of rivers throughout the world, the dumping and accumulation of various pollutants, and invasive species make aquatic ecosystems some of the most threatened on the planet; thus, it’s not surprising that there are many fish species that are endangered in both freshwater and marine habitats. i. The American Fisheries Society identified 700 species of freshwater or anadromous fish in North America as being imperiled, amounting to 39 percent of all such fish on the continent ii. In North American marine waters, at least 82 fish species are imperiled. Across the globe, 1,851 species of fish — 21 percent of all fish species evaluated — were deemed at risk of extinction by the IUCN in 2010, including more than a third of sharks and rays. d. [Invertebrates (depth into coral reefs)] Invertebrates, from butterflies to mollusks to earthworms to corals, are vastly diverse — and though no one knows just how many invertebrate species exist, they’re estimated to account for about 97 percent of the total species of animals on Earth. Of the 1. 3 million known invertebrate species, the IUCN has evaluated about 9,526 species, with about 30 percent of the species evaluated at risk of extinction. i. Freshwater invertebrates are severely threatened by water pollution, groundwater withdrawal, and water projects, while a large number of invertebrates of notable scientific significance have become either endangered or extinct due to deforestation, especially because of the rapid destruction of tropical rainforests. ii. In the ocean, reef-building corals are declining at an alarming rate: 2008’s first-ever comprehensive global assessment of these animals revealed that a third of reef-building corals are threatened. III. Conclusion a. While much concern over extinction focuses on globally lost species, most of biodiversity’s benefits take place at a local level, and conserving local populations is the only way to ensure genetic diversity critical for a species’ long-term survival. Not everything is lucid when it comes to biodiversity loss, but what it is clear that many thousands of species are at risk of disappearing forever in the coming decades. How to cite Biodiversity Outline, Essay examples